Mercenaries
by Pied Flycatcher
Summary: When Cloud Strife is taken to Galbadia, he is forced into a job he swore never to do again. His mission? To assassinate Sorceress Rinoa. Squall won't be pleased about that... Complete!
1. Blackmail

_(Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and VIII are copyrighted to Square-Enix. I don't own any of their characters, but the original characters do belong to me. This disclaimer applies to all chapters of this story.)_

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**1**

**Blackmail**

He noticed the smell first. Instead of the light woody fragrance of his office, the air he inhaled had a metallic tang: cold, unpleasant and clinical. The second thing he noticed was that he had a blinding headache.

"Subject successfully transferred," said a male voice.

Sensing other people around him, he pulled himself into a sitting position, inwardly cursing the weakness of his limbs.

He was in a laboratory. No doubt about it: the gleaming white surfaces, the intricate pieces of machinery, the cold, straight edges and the hardness of the floor said it all. He caught his breath as familiar memories swept over him. Blurred, terrible memories, of pain and confusion, of losing the sense of his own identity...

He pushed the memories away and tried to concentrate on the present. There were three men in the room: two who looked to be scientists of some kind and a third dressed in a suit.

"Subject appears to be disoriented," said one of the scientists.

"Hardly surprising," replied the one in the suit.

His hands scrabbled on the floor as he tried to stand up, and found the hilt of his sword. He grasped it, feeling relieved that he wasn't unarmed, and got to his feet.

"Who are you? Where am I?"

The man in the suit smiled. "All shall be explained in due course. Welcome, Cloud."

Cloud's voice trembled. "How do you know my name?"

"Subject's heart rate is increasing. Suggest immediate sedative."

At this, the other scientist stepped forward, holding a syringe. Cloud stumbled backwards and almost tripped over a step.

"No! Don't touch me!"

"You need to calm down, Cloud." The man was still smiling. He didn't seem at all perturbed by Cloud's reaction.

The scientist hesitated. "Should I sedate him, sir?"

"No. He's dangerous in this state. Keep away."

The scientist gladly scurried back behind his superior.

Cloud had stumbled onto a circular dais, a raised area with an arch in the middle. He was disturbed to find the metal arch humming slightly. Numerous wires attached to nodes in the arch led to complicated-looking machines. One of the scientists stood watching a screen, clipboard in hand.

He didn't understand what was going on – he had been in his office only a couple of minutes ago. He looked around wildly, hoping to catch a glimpse of a familiar street or building outside a window, but there was nothing. The bile rose in his throat and he swallowed, grimacing at the acidic taste.

"All I want is for you to listen to me for a few minutes," the dark-suited man said. "Please don't do anything foolish. As you may have guessed, we brought you here."

"Where is here? Is this a Shinra building?"

"No. In fact, this isn't your world at all. That device you're standing on is a portal. It allowed us to transport you from your world to ours."

Cloud heard, but he could hardly take it in. The room seemed to spin around him; he maintained his balance with difficulty.

"You are now in the country of Galbadia," the man went on. "I am a member of the Galbadian government. You may call me Kelling. These are my assistants, Holt and Kyme."

"But why did you bring me here? What do you want with me? I shouldn't be here, I should be at home!" The volume of his voice increased with every word. He ought to be with the kids now. It had been getting late; he had almost finished his office work and he'd been about to help make them dinner. He imagined Marlene and Denzel calling for him, at last timidly entering his office but finding no one... They would think he had left them again. And Tifa wasn't there to look after them – she was running late on some errand or other. They'd be on their own.

"Subject's stress levels are rising," one of the scientists, Kyme, noted.

"You bet they're rising! You better have a damn good reason for bringing me here."

"Please, calm down," said Kelling. "I'm afraid we need you. We've been watching you for some time. We have a task for you."

"Whatever it is, forget it! I want to go back."

Kelling raised his eyebrows. "Once you have done as we ask, you may return. You have my word."

Cloud raised his sword unsteadily. His arms trembled and he coughed, but he kept the huge blade pointed at the dark-suited man. "Why should I do anything for you? Let me go back if you want to live."

Kelling laughed. Not a good sign. "Go ahead, kill us. Then you'll be stuck here forever. We're the only ones who know how to operate the machine."

Cloud coughed again and was forced to lean on his blade to support his shaking legs. "Why do I feel like crap?"

Kyme looked up from his clipboard. "Nausea. Induced by the temporal-spatial disturbance. Only to be expected."

"The after-effects will wear off soon," said Kelling. "Now listen. I propose a deal, Cloud. You do a favour for us; we'll do one for you. We'll let you go home."

Cloud considered this, but his head was spinning and he found it hard to think straight.

"What do you want me to do?"

Kelling's hand slid to his jacket pocket and he pulled out a photo. He stretched out his arm to give the picture to Cloud, at the same time making sure to keep his distance. Cloud took it. The picture showed a young, dark-haired woman, dressed in blue. Her smile reminded him of Tifa.

"The girl's name is Rinoa," said Kelling. "We want you to kill her."

* * *

The vidphone in his office rang yet again. Squall sighed. All this new telecommunication technology was a wonderful thing, but it didn't exactly allow for privacy. He pressed a button and watched the screen flicker into life.

"Yes?"

"Hey, Squall! Glad you're here, I've been trying to contact you for days. Didn't you get my message?"

He had, but he'd deleted it, figuring if it was that important, Laguna would have marked it as urgent.

"I'm busy right now," he said. "Is this business, or not?"

Laguna chuckled. "You never take any time out, do you, son?"

Squall folded his arms, but didn't reply.

"This is business," said Laguna in a more sombre tone. "We've just received news that one of our spies in Galbadia has been imprisoned. We want to negotiate a release."

"How many SeeDs do you want?"

"Two or three should be enough. This isn't a fighting contract. But the way things are going now, anyone I send into Galbadia gets locked up. SeeDs are neutral agents. And your people know Galbadian territory better than mine."

Squall nodded. "I'll let Quistis handle this one. I'll put you in touch and you can leave the details to her."

"Too busy to even ask what the mission involves?" Laguna smiled. Upon closer inspection, his face looked rather strained, the smile forced. The lines on his forehead told the true story. As President of Esthar, Laguna had a lot of responsibilities, probably more than his son. But it was always Laguna who tried to contact Squall just to chat, or to arrange an informal meeting.

"Do I need to know?"

"I guess not."

"Goodbye." Squall reached forward to press the button that would terminate the call, but Laguna stopped him.

"No, wait a minute!" His father ran a hand through his dark hair, which was streaked with grey. "I wanted to congratulate you on your engagement! Rinoa's a great girl. When's the wedding?" He gave a lopsided grin. "I hope you didn't forget to put my name on the invitations."

"We haven't fixed a date yet. I'll let you know."

"Okay. Give Rinoa my best wishes and say hi to Selphie for me!"

Squall nodded and terminated the connection. The screen went blank. He tapped the keyboard and brought up the SeeD database. Every SeeD had their own profile, and the list showed their SeeD level, location and current mission. He clicked on Quistis' name and sent her a brief message.

Then he sat back and drummed his fingers on the desk. He had too many things to think about. Talking to Laguna always threw him off-balance. He didn't like the man. Why should he, when his father had abandoned him? They had to maintain a professional relationship, that was all. Laguna had tried, a little, to reconcile their differences. But not enough. And Squall had other matters to worry about.

Sometimes he wondered why Garden still existed. He thought about retiring. Disbanding SeeD. They'd all discussed it. Squall hadn't contributed much to that particular conversation but he understood the opinions voiced. It was Irvine, surprisingly enough, who had hit on the core problem.

"If we quit being SeeDs, what will we do then?"

That was why Squall stayed as Commander of the Garden, taking over from Cid who had officially retired as Headmaster. Because he didn't know how to do anything else. And nor did the others. Fighting was all they knew. Even though the final battle was over, that future still lay ahead, and someone had to prepare the world for what was coming.

It might as well be him.

* * *

"This is one sick joke," said Cloud.

"Oh, but it's not a joke," said Kelling. "You will see that very soon."

He stared at the photo again. "Kill her... why?"

"She may not look it, but she is possibly the most dangerous person in existence right now."

He tried to laugh but gave a hacking cough instead. "This girl? You've got to be kidding me."

"We're not," said Kelling grimly. "Rinoa is a Sorceress. She's young, so she is still developing her powers, but in a few more years she'll become a formidable evil. She needs to be eliminated before it's too late."

Cloud tossed the photo away. The other men watched the piece of paper as it floated down to land at Kelling's feet. Cloud cleared his throat and moved into a defensive stance, with his sword raised. He could feel his strength returning.

"Forget it," he said. "I'm not doing your dirty work for you."

"You're a mercenary, aren't you?"

"Not any more!" He leapt off the dais and in a flash he landed next to Kelling, grabbed him by his hair and let his sword hover over the man's exposed throat. Kelling gasped and choked. The scientists backed away, fear in their eyes.

"Subject appears to be, er, recovering," said Kyme shakily. He dropped his pen, which rolled across the gleaming floor and came to rest near the discarded photo, but he obviously didn't dare to come near Cloud and pick it up.

"Take me back, or I'll kill him," Cloud snarled.

Kyme hesitated, looking to Kelling for a signal.

"I'm warning you," he growled. "First Kelling... then that scumbag over there – don't move!" he added as Holt began to sidestep towards a computer. The white-coated scientist froze.

"Wait," Kelling rasped.

Cloud looked down in disgust. Kelling's face was soaked with sweat. But his arm was beginning to feel the strain of holding his sword level, and the other arm that restrained Kelling was twisted in an awkward position. He shifted his body, causing a gasp of terror from his hostage. Now he was behind Kelling, in what might have looked like an embrace if it weren't for the huge sword which cut across the front of Kelling's neck.

"I... I told you not to be hasty, Cloud," Kelling gasped. Cloud's eyes darted around. He twisted his head to look behind him, afraid that Kelling might be stalling for time. But nobody else appeared, no soldiers. The scientists weren't even armed as far as he could see. "Holt... show him..."

"What?" said Cloud sharply. His hold on Kelling tightened and the man choked.

Holt leaned over the panel of a machine and pressed a button. Cloud expected alarms to go off. He expected soldiers to burst in and shoot him in the back. What he didn't expect was for a blank screen on the wall behind the dais to activate. What he didn't expect was for it to show him... Tifa. She lay unconscious on the floor of a dark cell. He couldn't bear to see her like that. With her eyes closed and her face smooth in repose, she looked so vulnerable.

"Tifa... what have you done to her?" he whispered. His limbs suddenly felt weak again.

"Release Kelling," said Holt. His voice was shaking – it was clear the men were still afraid of Cloud, but they had the upper hand now and they knew it. Cloud lowered his sword and flung Kelling away from him. Kelling lurched against one of the panels. He caught himself and stood panting for a few seconds, massaging his neck.

"It was wise of you not to kill me," he said at last, regaining his composure. "It would have been her death."

"You bastard, what have you done with her?"

"I would have preferred not to," said Kelling. He took a handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped his face with it. "But I suspected that you might be... difficult. Imprisoning Tifa was a regrettable but necessary precaution."

"She is alive," Holt added. "She suffered the same process as you, but she will recover."

_So he lied_, thought Cloud. _He probably intended to use her as a hostage all along…_

"That's enough," said Kelling. "All you need to know is that she is safe in our hands. Whether she will remain safe is up to you. If you attempt to harm any of us again, Tifa will pay the price. Once you have completed your mission, we'll return both of you to your own world."

Cloud looked down at the floor. That was it, then. He had no choice. He would have been prepared to risk his own life, but not Tifa's. Whatever kind of game these men were playing with their talk of other worlds, he would have to play along.

"Where is she?" he asked.

Kelling smiled. "Not in this building, so don't waste your time looking. She is far away. You won't be able to find her; only we know where she is. Now, do we have an understanding?"

He scowled. "I guess we do." He sheathed his sword on his back and folded his arms.

"Very good. Let me explain the details of this mission to you. Your target, Rinoa Heartilly, is currently residing in Balamb Garden. Balamb Garden is a mobile institute designed for military training, and it's hovering just outside this city as we speak. We will provide you with temporary accommodation at the edge of the city to allow easier access to Garden. You must infiltrate Garden, kill Rinoa and return to your secret location with proof of her death before Garden leaves. That gives you a week to complete the mission."

"So this Balamb Garden's like a military academy? That means it'll be full of soldiers in training, right? How am I supposed to get in?"

"You're partly right. Balamb Garden is most famous for its elite mercenary force, SeeD. They will be your toughest opponents if you have to fight your way out. As for getting in, you'll get the details later on."

"SeeD…" _An odd name_, Cloud mused. They sounded a bit like SOLDIER, specialist fighters, but… "If SeeD are a mercenary force, why don't you just hire one of them to kill Rinoa for you? Why do you want me?"

Kelling smiled crookedly. "Ideally, we would. But there's a slight problem. The commander of SeeD is Rinoa's fiancé."

"Oh." Damn, this was just getting worse and worse. "And if he gets in my way?"

"Kill him," said Kelling without hesitation. "Fulfilling your mission comes first, whatever the body count. If you have to kill the whole Garden to get to Rinoa, then do it. Remember, Tifa's life is at stake here too."

Cloud's face darkened. He didn't like what he was being made to do at all. He decided privately that he would try to do this without killing anybody else. Taking one innocent life was bad enough. He could do without the guilt of killing an entire academy of military students.

"You're a coward," he spat. "If you're a member of the Galbadian government, why don't you get some Galbadian soldiers to take her out? Or doesn't this country have an army?"

"Trust me, we thought of all the available options before summoning you. Galbadia has suffered under the rule of a Sorceress. We are currently searching the country to find potential Sorceresses, and eliminating them. Rinoa is still alive only by a lucky chance."

"What's that?"

"Her father is the ruler of Galbadia."

Cloud let out his breath. He didn't think this could get worse, but it had. "So you're ordering me to kill the daughter of your president?"

"General. Galbadia is under military rule. The General is currently refusing to act against his daughter."

"I see. You thought you'd take matters into your own hands." He had a potential weapon here. These Galbadians were traitors.

"Reveal anything of this and Tifa will die," said Kelling, anticipating the train of Cloud's thought.

Only the thought of Tifa kept him from running the man straight through with his sword. He took a deep breath. "Fine. Anything else I should know?"

"Garden only accepts students below the age of twenty one. You're too old. You can gain access as a visitor, but you'll be supervised throughout and you'll only see a few public areas."

"So? You want me to bust in there?"

"No. You need to become familiar with the geography of Garden. You also need to get close enough to Rinoa without causing havoc. If you bust in there, as you so eloquently put it, she will in all likelihood leave Garden before you get anywhere near her."

Cloud didn't say anything. They had brought him here; if they couldn't come up with a plan, he sure as hell wasn't going to help them.

"That's why you will need an accomplice," Kelling went on.

"You have someone in Garden working for you?"

This time Holt spoke. "No. But right now, if my calculations are correct, a suitable accomplice has just entered your house."

Cloud's eyes widened. "You don't mean…" _Damn._ On the one hand, having a friend accompany him in this strange world was a comfort, especially knowing they would back him up in a fight. On the other, it was bad enough that Tifa had been dragged into this mess. "I don't want," he started to say, but Kelling cut him off.

"Begin the transportation procedure."

Holt and Kyme scurried to the machine and began entering codes. Cloud watched, hoping to get an idea of how to work the device, but he was still completely clueless. Numbers flashed on the screen in apparently random orders. The faint humming coming from the metal arch on the dais escalated into a busy whirring.

"Keep away from the arch," Kelling warned him. "The portal is one way only."

The noise from the arch increased in pitch. It cut like a knife through Cloud's head, a jagged bolt of sound. He clapped his hands over his ears. Kelling had done the same, but the scientists worked on, showing no reaction. Abruptly, the frequency passed beyond his hearing as a shimmering bubble of energy appeared around the dais. It was transparent; he could see it only because of a faint reflection, but he could feel it more than anything else – it radiated raw power.

"Temperature increasing," said Kyme. "Force field active. Adjusting spatial-temporal alignment."

"Don't go near the field," Holt warned them as he finished entering the codes. "The radiation will fry you."

"Impressive, isn't it?" said Kelling conversationally.

Cloud refused to answer. He didn't want to have a civil conversation with the man who was effectively blackmailing him into killing someone.

Kyme was pressing buttons furiously. He kept watching a small screen in front of him. Cloud stared at the screen; it showed a tiny white dot moving about, and a transparent square, made up of black lines, which followed the white dot. Every time the square centred on the white dot, the camera zoomed in. The blob of white enlarged until it filled almost the whole screen.

"Gotcha!" said Kyme, and he pressed another button.

The arch made a noise like metal being torn apart. The energy bubble surrounding it glowed, and then, with not even a flash of light or puff of smoke or bang to announce her arrival, a girl stumbled out of the arch. The machinery stopped whirring. The energy dissipated. Cloud felt a wave of heat hit him in the face and blow back his hair like a gust of wind.

The girl lay still. He couldn't even tell if she was breathing.

"Revive her," Kelling ordered.

"Yes, sir." Holt stepped onto the dais and injected the girl's arm with a clear fluid. He moved away hurriedly as she began to stir.

"Subject successfully transferred," said Kyme.

"Yes, we know," said Kelling impatiently. "Take your notes in silence."

Kyme shot him an aggrieved look.

"Ah…" said the girl. "Did I trip over?

The girl rolled onto her side and pulled herself up, then stared around the room in utter astonishment. Cloud hurried over to her.

"It's all right," he said, lifting her up. He knew from his own experience that she would be feeling sick and woozy. Hell, he still had a headache. It would probably take a good night's sleep for them to recover completely.

"Cloud," she said. "I was looking for you. Where are we? Did I hit my head? 'Cause this sure ain't your home."

"I'll explain later," said Cloud. He glared at Kelling as he helped his friend stand up. "You shouldn't have brought her!"

Kelling raised his eyebrows. "I don't think your opinion matters in this. You and Yuffie are allies. I know you'll help each other. It's getting late. I think it's time we began. You'll be escorted to your private accommodation. I have a few ground rules to tell you while you enjoy our hospitality. First of all, you must not leave the house at all until it is time for the mission. All your needs will be provided for. Secondly, be aware that all your actions will be monitored. I have spies watching the house. We'll know if you leave without permission. Thirdly, you are to stay quiet. Nobody must know of your presence. Is that clear?"

"Yes," said Cloud.

"Huh?" said Yuffie. "I'm feeling kinda sick, I don't think I wanna stay in a hotel. It's nice of you to offer us a vacation an' all…"

"Subject is confused," noted Kyme, before a look from Kelling intimidated him into silence again.

"Just be quiet and stick with me, Yuffie," said Cloud. "I promise I'll explain what's going on, but it'll have to wait until you feel better, okay?"

"Sure," said Yuffie. Her face turned green. "Ugh… I think I'm gonna be sick."

Cloud managed to keep Yuffie's face turned away from him so she vomited onto the floor instead of his clothes. Kelling ordered Kyme to clean up the mess, which Kyme did with much grimacing and reluctance.

"Now, just one moment," said Kelling. "Biggs! Wedge!"

Cloud flinched. Holt gave him an odd look, and he wondered if any of them knew what those names meant to him.

A door at the other end of the lab slid open and two soldiers hurried in. One of them wore a blue uniform and carried a sword. The other wore dark red and was more heavily armoured.

"Reporting, sir!" said the one in the blue uniform.

"Escort these two to the secret location," Kelling ordered.

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Go with them," said Kelling. "Remember, I will be monitoring all your actions."

Cloud half-carried, half-dragged Yuffie across the floor. The one in the blue uniform, who introduced himself as Wedge, led them out of the laboratory, down a corridor, a set of stairs and into a dark basement which turned out to be an underground station. Biggs followed them. He kept his machine gun trained on them throughout the journey. Evidently, Kelling still didn't trust them. Still, Cloud thought he could have taken both soldiers easily if he didn't have Tifa and Yuffie to worry about.

A train with a single carriage awaited them in the station. The journey was short and dark. Even if he'd tried to see anything out of the grimy windows, it was all black because they were underground. Cloud realised that once they were taken to this safe house, he would have very little idea of where to find the laboratory again. Kelling was making sure that he didn't betray them; he would have to return and rely on Kelling's men to take them back, otherwise he would never get home.

_I can only hope the bastard keeps his word_, he thought.


	2. Prisons of Mind and Body

**2**

**Prisons of Mind and Body**

Squall sighed as he looked at the mountain of paperwork piling up next to the computer. He hated the tedious, administrative side of things. He really ought to get a secretary. Xu handled the day-to-day running of Balamb Garden, but he couldn't delegate any more work to her; she was overstretched as it was. Organising SeeD contracts and missions fell to him.

The door banged open. Squall didn't bother turning round; only one person entered his office without knocking.

Rinoa wrapped her arms around his neck. "It's nearly five," she murmured. "Are you going to take a break?"

He indicated the pile of paperwork.

"Oh, that. You can leave it, can't you?"

"Then it'll double in size by tomorrow."

"What _is_ all that stuff?"

"Bureaucratic junk."

Rinoa yanked his arm and he allowed her to pull him out of his chair. She smiled and hugged him. Squall couldn't help responding; he stroked her hair with one hand, wrapped the other around her waist and bent his face to kiss her. Rinoa tapped her finger against his mouth.

"Junk, huh? I know what to do with that." Grinning, she extended a hand and tipped the paperwork into the wastepaper basket.

"Rinoa!"

She regarded him playfully. "What?"

He shook his head. "You just condemned Zell to another month in Timber."

"Well, that's no bad thing, is it? Timber's still fighting for independence."

"He's there to enforce Galbadia's rule."

"Oh." She frowned. "Can't you-"

"No." He knew what she wanted. But he couldn't give it to her. SeeD were a mercenary force. They worked for whoever offered them the highest price. If Squall used SeeD to free Timber, this would be seen as an act of war. Politically speaking, he couldn't afford to get on the wrong side of Galbadia. As long as it was understood by both sides that SeeD was a neutral force, they could tread safely. Show favour to either Galbadia or Esthar and he would fall off the political tightrope faster than you could say 'chocobo'.

"You still haven't fulfilled your original contract, remember?"

"It was a stupid contract."

She looked hurt. "Doesn't Timber's freedom mean anything to you?"

"Does it mean something to you?"

She almost growled in exasperation. "Of course it does. The Forest Owls might not be active now…"

"And they won't be active again. You're not going back there, Rinoa. Just because you had some silly childish resentment against your father, you thought it'd be fun to go and play rebels in Timber. But this isn't a game and it never has been."

She stepped away and turned her back on him then. "You're really harsh sometimes, you know?"

_Damn it._ He didn't move for a second while he wondered how to placate her. Irvine always advised flowers.

"Chicks dig the romantic stuff," he'd told Squall when advising him on how best to propose to Rinoa. But he didn't want to think about that disaster.

He moved towards Rinoa and took her hand. "I'm sorry. I… I just want you to be safe." _I couldn't live without you_, he added silently.

She gave a tiny smile. "My brave knight."

"It's my duty to protect you. That's why I want you to stay here."

Rinoa stood up on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. "I know, I know. It's… just so unfair. I love the Garden campus, but it gets so lonely when you're holed up here working and everyone else is on a mission. I thought… when we got married… well, I always imagined us going to live in this little country house, maybe a bit like the orphanage, and it would be just the two of us together, always peaceful."

_Dream on,_ Squall thought.

She gazed at him, her dark eyes wide and thoughtful. "I can tell you're frustrated too. What's on your mind, Squall?"

_Too many damn things._

He looked away. "Nothing. Come on, let's go and get something to eat."

Rinoa took his arm willingly but she was nothing if not persistent. As they entered the elevator and Squall pressed the 'down' button, she continued pestering him.

"Come on, what is it? Work getting you down?"

"Maybe."

In truth, that was only scratching the surface. _Life_ was getting him down. He couldn't help feeling that, at only eighteen years old, he was already trapped. He couldn't shake off this person he had become. Garden Commander, Sorceress' Knight, loyal husband-to-be. Wasn't he too young for all this? Shouldn't he have something to look forward to? What could he possibly achieve now?

_The problem when you've got it all_, he mused, _is that there's nothing more to strive for. The future is bleak: that's a certainty. Why even bother?_

"Squall?"

He blinked and returned his mind to the present.

"You were brooding again. How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?"

He smiled. "You're right, there's a lot on my mind." He still wasn't used to sharing it. Even Rinoa had to coax it out of him. She had refined this skill into an art. He remembered how he had confided in her when she had been in a coma. It seemed stupid… she couldn't hear him after all – but that was the point. He often talked to her as she lay sleeping next to him in bed. Once he had started whispering to her, thinking she was asleep, and she had rolled over and smiled at him. He'd been so flustered, he had turned bright red and had no idea what to say. She had just laughed and hugged him.

They walked to the cafeteria. A few students strolled past, but mainly it was quiet. Inside, the cafeteria was much busier, with a queue of students talking and laughing as they waited to order their meals.

"Let's sit somewhere quiet," said Squall.

They ordered today's special, which was a Gysahl salad garnished with peppers, and chose a table in the corner which was reserved especially for SeeDs.

"So," said Rinoa. "Spill."

He thought about what he could tell her. "Laguna contacted me today."

"What did he say?"

"He wants to hire SeeD again… And he also wants to come to our wedding."

"You did say yes, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Laguna is really nice. You should make more of an effort to get on with him."

"Are we inviting your father?"

Her lips tightened. "I suppose. He is family."

"You realise how difficult that's going to be?"

"Oh – I see what you mean." She toyed with some lettuce on her fork. "You'll have to tell them to come without a bodyguard. I want this to be a wedding, not a military ceremony."

"It's going to be hard to convince them."

"Do you really think there'll be a war between Esthar and Galbadia?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. It's only a matter of time."

"Can't we stop it?"

"A war means more profit for us."

She smacked his arm. "Ugh! That's just like a SeeD. There must be a way for the countries to come to an agreement without fighting. You negotiated a truce before, right?"

"That was last time."

He thought back to the last time war had almost broken out between the two countries. With Sorceress Adel gone, radio signals were no longer disrupted, and that meant that global communication became possible. It also meant that Esthar could no longer remain in isolation. Their superior technology developed even further with the advent of wireless broadcasting. Fearing the growing power and dominance of Esthar, the Galbadians destroyed Odine's laboratory where many new scientific inventions originated. The conflict had only lasted a few weeks, however, as Galbadia agreed to a ceasefire in return for Esthar sharing some of its technological secrets.

"But it'll be all right this time, won't it?"

"I don't know," said Squall, frustrated. "There's no point speculating about the future. It's not going to get us anywhere."

"That's not true, Squall, and you know it. When we get married, I want my father and your father to be standing next to each other, as friends."

He sighed. "I'll try."

She squeezed his arm. "I know you'll do it. SeeD should be a force for keeping the peace, not war."

"What's the difference?"

She simply rolled her eyes and smacked him again. They both knew the difference. In the past he would have been more cynical. But Rinoa made him rethink his attitudes more than anybody else. It was she who had first brought up the idea of quitting SeeD. Perhaps that was because she wasn't a SeeD. She was an outsider looking in, and what she saw of Garden made them all think. He remembered her first reaction to it; she thought it was kind of like camp. She had grown more mature since then.

"You're all killers," she had said. "All your lives, you've been trained to kill. Doesn't that strike you as wrong?"

Her bluntness had taken his breath away. Quistis hadn't liked the idea at all; she had gone on and on about how Garden cared for orphaned children and the useful skills they all learnt, and the healthy discipline of such an environment... but it was clear that the notion had shaken her. It was as though they had all grown so used to fighting that it had never occurred to them what they were actually doing.

"Squall?"

He flinched as he came back to the present, but Rinoa had only laid her hand on his arm.

She smiled. "You really have got a lot on your mind, haven't you?"

"Sorry," he said. "It's just... sometimes I want to get away from it all."

"Then why don't we? I know – we'll go and visit Cid and Edea at the orphanage. You'd like to have a break for a few days, wouldn't you?"

"I can't. I have a meeting scheduled with General Caraway tomorrow, and then I've got to sort out the transfers from Galbadia Garden, and I need to contact Zell because his contract has run out, and we're not due to leave Galbadia until Sunday anyway..."

He stopped as Rinoa pressed a finger to his lips. "Shush," she said. "We'll plan something after Garden leaves, then. Does Selphie still want to do the Garden festival?"

"It's not scheduled until summer," said Squall automatically.

"Too long to wait. Hmm, so Zell's in Timber. Where are Quistis and Selphie?"

"I've called Quistis back from Galbadia Garden. She should be reporting to me soon. Selphie's due to fly back from Esthar tomorrow; according to her last email, they've finished rebuilding Odine's laboratory." He paused and raised his eyebrows. "Why do you want to know?"

"I like to keep up with my friends," said Rinoa. She finished the remains of her salad, drained her glass, stood up and kissed him on the cheek. "Are you done?"

"Yeah. I need to get back to work. Will you do me a favour?"

"What?"

"Check up on Irvine. I'm not sure making him an instructor was the right thing."

Rinoa winked at him. "Will do!"

She left. He stared after her, his heart aching. He would have liked more than anything to stay with her; to take a stroll around the Garden quad, to sit down on the grass and relax... to spend any time with her at all. Their hours together were few and far between, and often marked with petty disputes over Garden politics and other concerns. He kept worrying that their conversations were stilted or boring – why couldn't he be more open with her? Why did they keep antagonising each other?

He sighed and dragged his feet as he walked back up to his office, ignoring a few bold students who said 'Good evening' to him. As he exited the lift he felt the back of his neck prickle. Something wasn't right. He cast around for a couple of seconds before he realised what had alerted him – the door to his office was slightly ajar.

He pushed it open warily, and found his suspicions confirmed. Someone was already inside. And they held a blade pointed straight at his throat.

* * *

Black. Everything was black. Had she gone blind?

Tifa sat up in sudden fear. Her cramped muscles screamed in protest and she put a hand to her aching forehead. She waited, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dark. Faint lines of light crisscrossed the ceiling and walls.

She stood up and stretched, easing out the tension in her muscles, and winced as the bones in her leg gave an audible crack. She flicked back her hair which was falling over her eyes and surveyed the room. Fear clawed at her insides but she kept it at bay. The most important thing right now was to figure out where she was and how she had gotten there.

A prison cell. That was the only explanation. The dark room was small, enclosed, with no windows. Behind her stood a low bed, or rather a thick mattress, and in the corner a grimy toilet cistern and sink. She ran her hands over the walls, searching for an exit. The glowing network of lines which illuminated the room also made the door hard to find. There it was. She could just make out the outline, but there was no handle. She pushed anyway, not really expecting it to open. It didn't. At the bottom she found a small metal hatch. She tried to open it, but her hands couldn't get any purchase around the smooth edges.

She paced around the cell three times to properly loosen up her muscles. Her left leg and elbow in particular were cramped – she must have fallen unconscious in an awkward position. She silently thanked her martial arts skills. Tifa knew more exercises than any of her friends, although she hadn't practised much lately.

If a guard dared to enter her cell, she would be ready for him.

She cracked her knuckles, and sat down on the mattress, waiting for her headache to subside. Sooner or later someone would come, to bring food or water – unless they intended her to starve. She didn't want to consider that. If her jailors wanted to kill her, they could have done so by now.

This wasn't her first experience of imprisonment, she reflected. But last time, she had a friend in the cell with her. Cloud. _What will he do when he realises I'm missing? He'd come and find me._ _If he knew where to find me,_ she thought. Cloud would search the whole world just to find her. She was sure of it. If she couldn't get out, he would rescue her.

Thinking of Cloud made her think of the home she'd left behind. The last thing she remembered before waking up here was returning to the Seventh Heaven bar in the afternoon. She'd gone out to pick up a few supplies, trusting that Denzel would look after Marlene. Both the kids were very responsible for their age, and they often helped out in the bar. She had returned, intending to open the bar later on. She dumped her bag behind the bar and started up the stairs to greet Denzel and Marlene. She could hear Marlene's sweet, high-pitched voice chattering to Denzel as the kids played in their room. It made her smile. She kept quiet, wanting to surprise them. Denzel and Marlene always said that they liked the evenings best, when Tifa shut the bar and Cloud returned home and they all had a little family time together.

But she had never reached their room. She frowned, trying to remember. Had she tripped over? Had someone attacked her from behind? Either way, she had been knocked out and woken up here. She could only hope that the children were safe and Cloud had arrived home to look after them.

Tifa wrapped her arms around her legs and tried not to cry. She would stay strong for them. She would find out who had done this to her, and they would suffer for it.

_Who would want to imprison me?_ She tried to think of all the possible suspects. Rufus Shinra came to her mind first, but the logic didn't seem to follow. He was nasty enough to stoop to kidnapping, yes, but why? Unless he wanted to hold her hostage. Perhaps he wanted something from Cloud. He had asked for Cloud's co-operation before. But he ought to know better than that. _If I'm in Shinra HQ again, Cloud will come for me, and no shattered hulk of a Shinra corporation can stop him._

If this was his handiwork, then no doubt he would have used the Turks to get to her. The thought made Tifa clench her fists. The Turks had been on friendly terms with them, especially after the Kadaj business. Reno and Rude in particular frequently dropped by Seventh Heaven for a few drinks. Reno often joked that Seventh Heaven was becoming a Turk joint. They were certainly two of her best customers – would they betray her like that? Use Marlene's trust to gain access to her house?

_You can't put anything past a Turk._ The phrase echoed in her mind. She couldn't even remember who had said it. Cloud maybe, or Vincent in one of his more talkative moods. But the words rang true.

If this was Reno's doing, she would be kicking his sorry behind right out of the city when she got out. And Cloud's sword would be dropping by Rufus' hideout to say hello too.

Imagining getting revenge made her feel slightly better. But she couldn't shake the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. _Marlene... Denzel... please be all right. I've worked so hard to keep this family together. Fate can't tear us apart now._

* * *

"Hello to you too," said Squall wryly.

Seifer smirked. "Didn't see that coming, did you?" He lowered his blade to let Squall pass.

"Next time, wait outside my office."

To his annoyance, Seifer took his chair and promptly rested his feet on the desk. He leaned back and grinned at Squall.

"Is there something you want?" Squall asked coldly.

He had been reluctant to let Seifer back into Balamb Garden. He remembered their first meeting, just after Squall officially accepted the post of Garden Commander. Seifer had entered his office, with his head downcast and shuffling his feet – quite different to the self-confident young man sitting before him now. He had asked Squall to give him a second chance. When Squall asked him why he wanted to be a Garden student again, Seifer had just shrugged and muttered something about the Disciplinary Committee. Squall thought he understood. Seifer was less than welcome in Galbadia, and he had no other home to go to. So he had returned to Balamb Garden, because for him, like Squall and his other companions, there was nowhere else. It had struck him then for the first time how similar they were. After that, he couldn't say no. He hoped he wouldn't regret his decision.

Seifer twirled his gunblade idly in one hand. "I'm taking the next SeeD exam."

"I know."

"So I need some practice." Seifer sat up, and laid his sword across his lap. "Don't you think it's time you tested your skills in the Training Centre? I bet you're rusty, _Commander_." The emphasis made the title sound more like an insult than a mark of respect.

"You want to train with me? Sorry, I haven't got time. Find someone else."

"You daren't go up against me," Seifer scoffed. "Scared I'll beat you in a straight fight?"

"No," said Squall. "I have more important matters to deal with."

He knew Seifer wouldn't like that, and as he expected, the other man scowled. "More important matters," he sneered. "Like frisking around with your girlfriend. Just remember I had her first, Squall."

Squall's mouth tightened. "Get out."

Seifer stood up, his gunblade ready. "Make me."

They stared into each other's eyes: one a brooding young man whose dark hair fell haphazardly over his forehead, the other tall and blond, wearing a white trench coat, his mouth curled upwards. Both had scars across their faces, mementos of an earlier battle. Squall's scar ran from above his right eyebrow, cut across the bridge of his nose, and ended beneath his left eye. Seifer's scar was the mirror of Squall's. It slashed diagonally in the opposite direction.

Squall dropped his eyes first. He stepped away from the door and gestured towards it. "I said leave."

"No."

Seifer was being deliberately awkward, and both of them knew it. Squall didn't know what to say. _What is he thinking? Why does he have to bug me like this? _

"Get your gunblade," said Seifer. "I want to train with the best."

Was that a disguised compliment? He couldn't believe Seifer had the gall to say that, especially after the gibe about Rinoa. Anger flickered inside Squall. If his old rival wanted to challenge him, then he would get a real fight. And if Squall added another scar to that arrogant face, he wouldn't be sorry.

He walked behind his desk and picked up his gunblade from its resting place against a filing cabinet. Even though his office was supposed to be the safest place in Balamb Garden (_obviously not_, he thought_, if Seifer can get in_), Squall still needed to have a weapon close at hand. It made him feel a little more secure.

He swung the blade in a graceful arc, testing the balance and making sure he was still comfortable with it. He hadn't fought a battle in a long time; Seifer was right, he might be rusty.

Seifer smirked. "Good." He swept his own blade towards Squall's throat. The two swords met with a metallic clash as Squall parried.

"Not here," said Squall. "I'll give you twenty minutes of my time in the training centre – that should be more than enough to beat you."

"I'm honoured." Seifer let his gunblade drop to his side, and flicked his hand towards the exit. "After you."

"No, after you," said Squall. Somehow he didn't want to turn his back on Seifer. Despite all the resolutions the student had made, Squall still couldn't trust him.

They left the office and stepped into the elevator. Seifer leaned casually against the wall as Squall pressed the 'down' button.

"Do you think I'll pass the SeeD exam this time?" asked Seifer suddenly.

Squall shrugged. "You have the ability, but not the discipline."

"Discipline, hah! I still think I should be an honorary member."

"We can't make a special case just for you, Seifer."

The elevator stopped and the doors clattered open. The two men walked round to the training centre, keeping their distance but at the same time staying close enough to continue their conversation.

"How about if I beat you in this battle?" Seifer asked. "Will you make me a SeeD then?"

"No. Being a SeeD isn't just about strength." For all he said he had changed, he suspected that Seifer was still a firecracker waiting to go off. His blatant disregard for authority showed that: no SeeD would barge into his commander's office and treat them with such disrespect, not even if they were old friends – or enemies.

"What is it about then?"

"If you have to ask that, you shouldn't even be taking the exam."

"Don't lecture me."

"You asked for it."

Seifer grinned. "Yeah, maybe I did. I asked for a battle too – I won't complain if you beat me."

Squall raised his eyebrows. That was new. The old Seifer never liked to admit defeat.

The training centre was an indoor jungle, full of monsters. They stopped in the first clearing they came to. The area had clearly seen a lot of battles; grass grew in patches and the bare, hard ground was marked with the imprints of many feet. He scanned the surrounding foliage, but could see no sign of any monster, and thankfully there were no recent T-rexaur footprints.

Seifer stood about ten feet away from him, grinning with the prospect of battle. Squall adopted a battle stance, feeling his muscles tense and hoping his body would remember how to fight. He gripped his gunblade before him with both hands.

"Ready?"

"Bring it on."


	3. Provocation

**3**

**Provocation**

A voice startled Tifa out of her reverie.

"I see you're awake."

She jumped up, automatically assuming a fighting stance with her fists clenched, but the cell was as empty as ever. The slight buzzing in the background told her that the voice was coming from some kind of intercom. She stared up at the ceiling – yes, there it was, a tiny black device hidden in the corner, almost impossible to spot.

She let her arms fall by her sides, determined not to sound frightened. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"That is none of your concern, Tifa," said the voice. It was male, quite deep, with a self-assured tone that reminded her of Rufus. But she didn't recognise it.

"Why are you keeping me here?"

"This is a temporary situation, I promise you. We hope to free you within a week."

Tifa was astonished. "But... why? What's the point of all this?"

"You are our guarantee that a friend will do a little favour for us."

So her suspicions were right. She _was_ a hostage. "If you're talking about Cloud, he'll come and rescue me, I know he will."

The voice chuckled. "Your faith is touching. By the way, your children are safe."

"Have-" Tifa started, but the intercom cut off even as she spoke. Silence once again became her only companion in the cell. She growled in frustration and started pacing again. Should she believe the voice or not? It was cruel, almost, that he had given her hope that Denzel and Marlene were all right, and yet she didn't know whether to believe him. She knew a little more about why she was here, but she had no idea who her captors were, or the nature of the 'favour' one of her friends had been asked to do. Perhaps they were just petty criminals holding her to ransom for one hundred thousand gil. She snorted at the thought.

Her stomach rumbled. She wondered how long she had been out for. It was impossible to tell what time it was. Her only indication of how much time had passed was her empty stomach and parched throat.

Tifa walked to the door and hammered it with her bare fists as hard as she could. The noise echoed. "Hey!" she yelled. "Let me out! Let me out right now! Come in and face me, you cowards!"

A few minutes passed before she got any response. Someone outside rapped the door sharply and a gruff voice snarled, "Shut ya mouth, prisoner. Go to sleep!"

Tifa put on a pleading voice. "Please, my throat is so parched. Can I have a little water?"

"No, you can't!"

"If you just came in, no one would know… I'm all alone..."

The guard laughed harshly. "I ain't falling for that one, bitch. You've barely been in here a day. Make any more noise and I'll be back here tomorrow with the rest of the guys to beat some sense into ya!"

What a mean guy! She pressed her head against the door and heard receding footsteps. Then she sighed, and allowed her body to slide down until she was slumped against the wall. She stared at her hands, pale in the darkness. The wolf ring Cloud had given her gleamed silver. It was a reminder of all they had been through together, and it made her feel connected to him.

One day, she hoped Cloud would give her another ring, one not to remind them of the past, but to symbolise their future. Then they could start their own family. _My hopes... my dreams... They all come back to you, Cloud. I hope you realise that._

She wiped the tears away from her eyes and sniffed. Cloud always came when she needed him. He kept the promise he had made long ago, and he continued to keep it. Even when he had left them for a while, she didn't give up hope. He came back, and he was more like the old Cloud she knew and loved. An optimistic Cloud looking forward to a brighter future.

And now this. It seemed like the whole world was conspiring to keep them apart. She folded her arms and shook her head in frustration. She had faced worse than this. One measly little prison cell wasn't going to beat her. Together, they had overcome many obstacles. She could handle this.

She got up and moved over to the mattress, figuring that some much-needed rest would help her keep up her strength. The mattress was about as uncomfortable as you could get, but it was better than the cold floor. She shifted about for a couple of minutes, trying to avoid the odd bumps, before finally settling down. Her head still hurt. It was more of a dull ache than the pounding migraine she had experienced when she first woke up.

She could live with it.

As Tifa laid there, eyes wide open and staring into the empty cell, the real gravity of her situation struck her for the first time. She had spent most of her energy worrying about her family. Now she realised that she was utterly alone.

She wondered if her feelings were strong enough, she could somehow project them to Cloud, no matter how far away he was. Then she mentally chided herself for being silly. _Do you realise how much I love you, Cloud? _She closed her eyes and prayed that he might hear anyway. _I love you, Cloud. I love you._

* * *

The house was actually a small apartment at the edge of the city. Cloud only managed to get a brief glimpse of the city itself; after the train ride, he had been bundled into a car with darkened windows, so he couldn't see anything at all. He had let Yuffie lean against his shoulder; she groaned occasionally, and he knew all the travelling was making her feel even sicker, but luckily she didn't vomit again.

The sky was overcast, making the streets dark and gloomy. It reminded him of the old Midgar, except it was better cared for and there was actually some greenery. The wide roads were busy with traffic. The apartment was the last building on the road out of the city. Beyond, he could see wide plains and a strange structure in the distance.

Noticing where Cloud was looking, Wedge spoke. "That's Balamb Garden. Amazing, isn't it? It's huge, but the thing is mobile. A flying military academy."

Biggs elbowed him. "Quiet! We can fill him in once we get inside. Hurry."

He pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and opened the door. Cloud and Yuffie stepped in behind him. They found themselves in a narrow, deserted corridor.

"You're on the second floor," said Biggs.

They went upstairs. Cloud noted the dusty floorboards and the cobwebs clustering on the ceiling and walls. Clearly, this place had long since been abandoned. They emerged into a small living room with a kitchen-diner attached. Huge windows dominated two of the walls, designed to let in as much light as possible, although right now it was having little effect. It was moderately clean – someone had been here before and prepared the accommodation.

Cloud laid Yuffie down on the threadbare sofa. Then he looked at the two soldiers.

Biggs handed him two mobile phones. "One for you and one for the girl," he said gruffly. "You can use them to keep in touch. We'll also use them to communicate with you, so keep them switched on at all times, got that?"

Cloud nodded. He examined the phone; the style was different to what he was used to, a little bulkier. "What about getting into Balamb Garden?"

Biggs nodded at Wedge. The blue-uniformed soldier took out a sheaf of papers from inside his jacket. "I've got them, sir." He looked at Cloud. "These are false identity papers for Yuffie. She'll pretend to be a transfer student from Galbadia Garden. We've included all the information you'll need about the two Gardens, so make sure you read it carefully. She'll be taken to Balamb Garden tomorrow morning."

"Meanwhile, you stay here," said Biggs. "Don't phone Yuffie, let her phone you. We'll monitor both of you, and when she's ready, Yuffie will tell you to head for Garden yourself. It's not hard to miss – you can see it from this window."

Cloud glanced out of the window. Biggs was right; he could see the same strange structure hovering on the plain.

"That's it?" he said.

The two soldiers looked at each other.

"I think that's everything, sir," said Wedge. He put the papers down on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Yuffie sat up and massaged her temples.

"What's that?" she asked. "Ugh, I have the worst headache ever. Can someone explain what's going on? Where am I? This is _not_ what I call a five star hotel."

Wedge paused.

"Come on," Biggs growled. "We'll let the mercenary explain things. Just remember," he added to Cloud, "this house is being watched."

He and Wedge left. Cloud waited until the noise of their footsteps had faded and then sat down in an armchair near to Yuffie. He removed his sword from his back and propped it against an armrest.

"How are you feeling?" he asked in a low voice.

"Not good." Yuffie's complexion looked slightly healthier, but she had lost her normal boundless energy. She sat cross-legged and stretched. "The trip wasn't exactly fun. I'm less shaky, but more sick – and damn this headache!" She smacked her forehead and winced.

"I think I could do with a drink. You want some water?"

She nodded.

He walked over to the kitchen area. "Let's see what food they've got in this place…" He opened a few cupboards. Inside were mainly tinned foods and a few snacks in wrappers. _At least they're not going to starve us_, he thought. _There's enough here for a few days._

He searched around and found two tall glasses. He turned on the tap, which spluttered and ran with dirty red water at first, but turned clear after a few seconds. He let it run a while just in case, thinking that it probably hadn't been used for a long time. He drained his own glass in one gulp, refilled it, and came over to sit with Yuffie.

She took the glass of water gratefully.

"I needed that." She splashed the last of the water over her head. "I'm burning up here."

"Do you want me to fetch you a flannel or something?"

"Yeah, thanks, Cloud." She stretched out on the sofa and placed a cushion behind her head so she could lie down comfortably. Then she grinned at him cheekily.

He searched around in the small, grubby bathroom, but he couldn't find a suitable cloth, so he just grabbed a sponge instead and stuck it under the tap. He washed his face and hands in the chipped basin. The cool water was soothing on his skin. Then he picked up the dripping sponge and returned to Yuffie. She slapped it over her forehead immediately.

"That's better. This place really is a dump. I tried to turn on the TV with that remote, but it's not working."

Cloud looked at the TV in the corner. The screen was dusty. "That doesn't surprise me." He checked the phone attached to the wall. No dial tone. There were no newspapers, no magazines – nothing that might give them useful information about this world, or give them a means of communication other than the mobile phones. He picked up the remote from the coffee table and examined it – as he had suspected, it had no batteries.

He sat back down in the armchair and sighed. "Are you ready now, Yuffie? Do you want me to tell you what's going on?"

She closed her eyes. "Go on. Hit me."

* * *

Squall charged first. He ran straight at Seifer with his sword raised and struck with all his strength. Seifer sidestepped him neatly and slashed at his chest, but Squall's momentum had already taken him out of range. He skidded and turned round, twisting his sword with him. Seifer parried and now the battle was in full swing: stroke, parry, counterstroke, neither taking a hit nor giving any ground.

Seifer thrust at his abdomen and Squall only just leapt back in time – he felt the point nick his stomach, drawing blood. Seizing his advantage, Seifer pressed forward, attacking Squall with a flurry of blows so that all Squall could do was parry and retreat. He sensed a fence looming behind him – he couldn't let himself get backed into a corner. He ducked a particularly wild stroke and slashed upwards in a diagonal arc. Seifer grunted and jumped back, but not before the blade had sliced into his shoulder. Initiative lost, he stumbled away, clutching his shoulder with one hand. Blood seeped through his fingers.

Squall quickly moved into the middle of the battlefield, pausing for a moment to get his breath back. He didn't want to be so rash this time. They circled each other, both wary.

"Had enough yet?" panted Seifer.

For an answer, Squall dashed forward, as though he was going for a direct thrust again. Seifer raised his gunblade to block him, but at the last second realised he was feinting. Squall sidestepped and dropped his sword to slash at Seifer's middle; Seifer tried to dodge, but he was off-balance; he lifted his arm instinctively to protect himself and the blade sliced into his elbow, cutting right to the bone. At the same time, Squall pulled the trigger. The blast sent Seifer flying into the air, yelling in pain. He hit the ground with a loud thud and didn't move.

Squall ran over and stamped on the hand that was still gripping Seifer's gunblade. He pointed his sword at his rival's throat.

"Yield?"

Seifer gave a rasping laugh, but his face was scrunched up in pain. "Yeah. Now take your damn foot off my hand before I have to get a new one."

Squall stood back. He was relieved to see Seifer sit up, but one of his arms was limp and his coat was smeared with blood and dirt.

"You nearly killed me, you bastard," said Seifer. "What's up, trying to give me a new scar?"

Squall laughed humourlessly. "You didn't exactly hold back yourself." He lifted up his bloodied white top to see how much damage Seifer had done. The sword had made a narrow slit in his skin. The wound wasn't deep, but it was bleeding a lot, and it hurt a lot too, as shallow cuts often do.

"Cure me, you bastard, before I lie down and die here." Seifer's tone was mocking, but his face had an unhealthy grey pallor. His injuries needed tending, and fast.

"I can't," said Squall. "I'm not a doctor, and I haven't junctioned any GFs, so I can't use magic."

Seifer rolled his eyes. "Why the hell not? I was relying on a cure spell, dammit."

_Because I don't want to lose any more of my memories, you tosser._

Out loud, he said, "I'd better get you to the infirmary quickly then."

"No, don't bother," said Seifer. "Let's sit out here and make daisy chains until I bleed to death, shall we?"

"Shut up and get up, Almasy." Seifer stood up shakily and Squall helped him to start walking to the training centre entrance.

"Not on first name terms any more, are we?" Seifer gasped.

"Not when you're being a prick."

"How about when I'm being a bastard?"

It was Squall's turn to roll his eyes. "You're wasting energy. Just concentrate on walking."

"Hey, wait…" Seifer glanced back. "You left my gunblade back there!"

"I've only got two hands, you know. I can't carry my sword and your sword and you all at the same time."

"You can't just leave it!"

"You can go back for it later. Nobody's going to steal it."

"Like hell they won't! Do you know how rare the Hyperion model is?"

_Only Seifer could be thinking about a lost weapon while he's so badly injured_, Squall thought.

"I thought you were dying," he said, unable to keep a sneer out of his voice. "Sure you don't want me to value a gunblade above your life?"

"If that gunblade disappears, you're the one I'm going to blame for it."

"Fine," Squall muttered. Their pace was slow, but they were getting near the entrance now – he could see the huge metal doors.

"If I die, I'll come back and kill you too."

"Now you're just delirious."

Seifer gave a hacking laugh and coughed up some blood. "Ouch…"

Squall suddenly felt Seifer's body go limp against him, and he almost fell over trying to support the dead weight. _Passed out from the pain, probably_, he thought. He heaved Seifer up, trying not to look at the young man's head lolling back at an awkward angle, or the white bone protruding from his elbow, or the dark stain across his shoulder.

He was just stumbling into the corridor that led to the exit, when he heard a roar behind him.

_…Damn._

* * *

Cloud told her. By the end of his story, she had leapt off the sofa and ran over to the window, staring into an unfamiliar horizon. The sun was setting. Its last golden rays illuminated the dingy living room.

"This can't be real," she said.

He shrugged. "Feels real. Looks real enough, too."

"But… but…" she struggled for something to say. "They brought us here to _kill_ someone? What the hell? What kind of screwed-up place is this?"

Cloud was flicking through the information Wedge had given him about Balamb Garden. "In this Garden place, they train little kids to be mercenaries. They admit students between the ages of five and fifteen."

"_Five_?" said Yuffie incredulously. "What sicko thought that one up?"

"Cid and Edea Kramer, apparently," said Cloud, still skimming through the notes. "According to this, Cid and Edea have retired and they're living at an orphanage."

Yuffie snorted. "I wouldn't trust them with my kids."

"Squall Leonhart is now the commander of SeeD and Garden." The notes included a picture. Cloud stared at the young, grim-looking man. He had a distinctive scar across his face – that would make him easy to recognise.

Yuffie moved away from the window and bent over his shoulder. "Hey, is that him? He's hot."

"Yuffie… You can't think like that. I might have to kill him."

"Why?"

"Because he's the target's fiancé. He'll want to protect her. Once I've killed Rinoa, I might have to fight my way out, and you can bet he'll be there. All the SeeDs are trained fighters, and he's their leader. That means he must be the best."

"Like Sephiroth, huh?"

Cloud stiffened. "No. Nobody's like Sephiroth."

* * *

Squall knew that sound. He tried to judge the distance between himself and the exit. If he wanted to run, it would only take him a few seconds. Could he make a dash carrying Seifer?

Heavy footsteps caused the ground to shudder. Squall risked a glance over his shoulder. The giant reptile stood in the clearing he had just left. It walked on two heavy, powerful legs, leaving its forelimbs free for ripping and clawing. Its nostrils flared and it opened its mouth, revealing a set of pointed fangs. A dark stripe ran across its neck and back, down to its bulky tail which swished from side to side as it moved. If he stayed still, it probably wouldn't see him – T-rexaurs had poor eyesight. But something had caught its attention. It bent its huge head down to the ground and sniffed. Squall realised that the smell of Seifer's blood had attracted it. The trail led right to them.

He had to make a quick decision. The T-rexaur was still sniffing around. It would take it a minute or two to realise its quarry had moved off and follow the trail. He could try to escape and hope that the T-rexaur didn't notice him in time. The second choice was to leave Seifer where he was and kill the monster. The monster would be expecting to find an injured creature, not a fighter. With any luck, he would be able to stun it in a single hit, if he aimed his strike correctly. He would just have to hope that Seifer didn't bleed to death or get attacked by another monster during that time.

These thoughts flashed through Squall's head in a second. He put Seifer down, so that the man lay flat on the ground. Then he gripped his gunblade in both hands and charged at the monster.

* * *

"This sucks," said Yuffie. "This really sucks. We've got to go in there and kill some innocent girl, and probably a load of others too if they catch us – and for what? What do we get out of this?"

"We get to go home. And Tifa gets to stay safe."

"Oh, yeah… Tifa." Yuffie's voice sounded defeated. "I guess you're right. We really don't have a choice."

Cloud indicated a file he had left on the table. "There's your fake ID and cover information. Are you going to take a look?"

"Yeah." Yuffie dropped the sponge, which was merely damp now, and looked through her papers. "Hey, they got my name right. They even spelt it right. How did they know that?"

Cloud looked pensive. "I don't know, Yuffie. I really don't know."

"Let's see… I joined Galbadia Garden at the age of ten… I was one of their best students – ha! They got that one right too. Blah, blah, blah… specialist weapon the shuriken. Wow, they really know their stuff. I've decided to transfer to Balamb Garden because I want to take the SeeD test." She looked up. "What's that?"

"SeeD are Garden's specialist mercenary force. They're elite fighters, kind of like SOLDIER." He felt his stomach drop as he remembered that he'd never made it into SOLDIER. The SeeDs he might be facing were all successful. He was a failure. He tried to put it to the back of his mind. He couldn't let doubt cripple him now, not when Tifa's life was at stake.

* * *

The T-rexaur's head whipped up as it saw the movement and it roared. The vibration made Squall's entire body tremble, but he ignored the noise, which he knew was meant to intimidate and jumped at the reptile's head. This was a risky tactic; the creature's huge teeth could rip him in half with one bite. The monster's hide was tough, however, and its throat was the most vulnerable part of its body.

He slashed with his gunblade as he leapt, and struck the T-rexaur across the throat. It let out another deafening roar, but this time one of mortal agony, and blood spurted out of its neck and mouth. Squall landed right next to the creature's thrashing tail, which caught him a heavy blow across the chest. He flew across the clearing and smashed into the ground. Dazed, he looked up to see the reptile stamping about in pain and rage, as droplets of blood scattered into the air. He scrabbled away as it lurched towards him and his leg almost got pinned beneath a giant claw. He rolled over to find himself directly underneath the monster. Gunblade grasped in one hand, he stabbed up at its exposed belly.

The T-rexaur shrieked again. It took two tottering steps forward, then with a final roar collapsed on the ground in front of him. Its heavy tail landed on his arm before he could dodge it. Squall grimaced and cursed. His sword arm was trapped and he couldn't reach the gunblade with his other arm. He tried to pull free and winced. _Damn, this thing is really heavy._

Then he saw something which made his eyes widen in fear. Two grats, obviously attracted by the prospect of fresh meat, were scuttling straight towards him.


	4. Job for Sidekicks

**4 **

**Job for Sidekicks**

Two shots rang out. They hit the grats with perfect accuracy. The grats crumpled with a squeal, digestive fluids oozing from their bloated bodies.

"Looks like someone needs saving," said a familiar lazy voice.

Squall twisted his neck. Irvine approached him, accompanied by another student, a girl with dark hair tied back in a ponytail. Irvine's eyes were twinkling. The girl next to him squealed.

"Commander Leonhart?"

"Yep, that's him," said Irvine. "Come on, looks like the guy could use some help."

The two of them lifted the T-rexaur's tail off his arm. Squall flexed his muscles and winced. "Thanks," he muttered.

The girl was circling round to examine the dead reptile. "It's not fair," she said. "We went all the way around the training centre and didn't encounter a single one, did we, Irvine?"

Irvine shot her an alarmed look.

"Oh – I mean, Instructor Kinneas."

"One of your students?" asked Squall, as he picked up his gunblade.

"Yeah. Hey, Juna! Get over here and heal Squall."

Juna looked up. She had just extended a finger to touch the T-rexaur's neck wound. She stood and wiped her hand on her skirt. Then she muttered a cure spell. Squall felt his injuries heal instantly. The nick in his stomach vanished, his bruises faded and his crushed arm returned to its original state.

"Did it work, sir?"

Squall nodded. "You see that man over there?" He indicated towards the entrance, where Seifer still lay sprawled and unconscious. "He needs healing, fast."

"Right-ho."

Irvine watched Juna run over to help him. "Is that… Seifer?"

"Yes. He's badly injured."

Juna performed three cure spells in quick succession and Seifer still didn't stir. Irvine whistled. "Sheesh, he really got beaten up."

"We have to get him to the infirmary. Come on."

They hurried over to where Juna was crouched down by Seifer. She looked up at them, her face shocked.

"There's blood all over him," she whispered. "I healed his wounds, but he won't wake up."

Squall and Irvine picked Seifer up. Seifer's face was deathly white.

"He's lost a lot of blood," Squall grunted. "Hurry."

With Juna leading the way, they rushed to the infirmary. When Doctor Kadowaki saw Seifer, her face became very grave.

"Leave him with me," she said. "He needs rest now. Oh, he'll live," she added. "He's tough. But he needs time to recover."

* * *

"Elite fighters, huh? Cool." Yuffie's normal optimism was returning. She smiled, and Cloud wondered if she was actually looking forward to the prospect of sneaking into Garden. He had to admit that Kelling had picked the right person for the job. Deception and stealth came to Yuffie as naturally as breathing.

"They said they'd pick you up tomorrow morning. I think we should get some sleep now, see if we can't wear off this headache."

"Yeah, I'm beat."

They had a quick bite to eat first, and then came an awkward moment when Cloud entered the bedroom and realised there was only one double bed.

"Yuffie," he called.

"What?" She came into the bedroom straight from the bathroom, wearing only her shorts and a bra.

He averted his gaze, feeling his cheeks redden. "Yuffie! Don't do that."

"What? We haven't got any other clothes – I'm gonna have to sleep in the nude." She noticed the bed. "Oh."

"I'll sleep on the couch," said Cloud quickly.

"Are you sure? I'm sure we can fix something up."

"I'll sleep on the couch." He said it with finality.

Yuffie shrugged. "Whatever. Hey, you seem really uptight."

Her casualness threw him. "Maybe that's because I am," he snapped. "Hasn't it even occurred to you how serious our situation is?"

"Just treat this like a vacation."

"A vacation?" He whipped round to face her, remembered that she was still indecent, and turned right back around again, his face red with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. "Yeah, great vacation. Tifa's imprisoned somewhere and I've got to kill someone this week."

A small hand touched his shoulder gently. "I know you're worried," said Yuffie. "But try not to have a breakdown, okay? You've only just stopped being screwed up, we wouldn't want a relapse." Her tone was laced with humour, but he could sense the concern behind it.

Cloud didn't look back at her. "Have you finished using the bathroom?"

"Yeah. Good night."

"Good night."

* * *

"Kinneas. I want to see you in my office."

"Now?" Irvine protested. "But I'm in the middle of teaching here."

"You were leaving the training centre, weren't you?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to give Juna some feedback."

Juna smiled and batted her eyelashes at them. She had stayed quiet in Squall's presence, however. He knew many of the younger students were intimidated by him and the girl couldn't have been older than sixteen.

Squall folded his arms. "Make it quick."

"In private," Irvine added.

"It's okay," said Juna. "I'll report to you tomorrow, if that's all right Irv- Instructor Kinneas."

"All right," said Irvine. He winked at her. She grinned and walked off. Irvine stared at her receding back for a moment, and then turned on Squall. "So, like, what's with the 'I want to see you in my office, Kinneas'?"

"We have to follow proper procedure in front of the students."

"Yeah? Well, whatever your problem is, you can tell me here and now."

"Exactly how many students are you giving private tuition?"

Irvine shrugged. "A few."

Squall's voice grew dangerous. "How many are female?"

Irvine raised his hands. "Whoa, whoa, just what are you accusing me of here?"

Just then, Rinoa came running up to them. She looked out of breath. "There you are, Irvine! I've been looking all over for you."

"Is there something you want?" asked Irvine. Rinoa shifted uncomfortably and looked at Squall. "Oh, I get it," he said. "You asked her to follow me? Doesn't anyone trust me around here?"

"Being an instructor is a position of responsibility," said Squall, reverting to a formal manner. He found it easier to deal with people in this way. He could distance himself from Irvine as a friend, and regard the issue professionally. "We're not yet sure if you're up to that responsibility."

"Responsibility is my middle name!" Irvine insisted.

Rinoa squeezed Squall's hand. "Let me deal with this," she said. She fixed Irvine with a steely glint in her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "Irvine, you'd better not be taking advantage of any of your students."

"I'm not." Seeing Rinoa's lips tighten, Irvine quickly elaborated. "Seriously, I'm not. I'm not making them do anything they wouldn't want to do."

"You're an instructor. You can't sleep with them, even if they're falling over themselves to be with you."

Squall clapped his hand over his forehead. He had forgotten how blunt Rinoa could be. This whole conversation made him very uncomfortable. Irvine, however, seemed unfazed.

"Chill," he said. "I haven't slept with any of them." Then he grinned. "We were up all night."

Squall groaned. "Do you _want_ to be demoted?"

"No. Come on, man. You can't demote me. I'm having a great time being an instructor. The students love me."

"Selphie's coming back tomorrow," said Rinoa quietly.

"That's great!" Irvine sounded genuinely happy. "The more, the merrier."

Squall restrained himself from rolling his eyes. Rinoa moved closer to him, her hand entwining with his. "How does Selphie feel about all this?" she asked.

"She's cool."

"Really?" said Rinoa disbelievingly.

"Look," said Irvine, "we're friends, okay? That's all. We have an open relationship." He winked at Rinoa. "You should try it some time." Squall gave him a murderous stare and he quickly added, "Joking, joking!"

Squall decided enough was enough. "Stop playing around and tell us the truth. If your relationship with any of your students is inappropriate, I'll be forced to take disciplinary action."

Irvine looked sullen. "What kind of disciplinary action?"

"That depends on the severity of your misconduct."

"Could you get Quistis to whip me?"

"Irvine!"

"All right, fine. I swear I haven't slept with any of them. Is that good enough for you? Or do you want me to detail the exact nature of every single one of my relationships?"

Squall looked at Rinoa helplessly. It wasn't often that Irvine lost his temper. He didn't like being forced to be serious. Irvine was weird like that.

"No, you don't have to do that." Rinoa smiled. "I might drop in on one or two of your classes though, just to see how you're doing."

"I won't say no to that. You can tell Squall what a great instructor I am." He looked directly at Squall. "Five of my students are ready for the next SeeD test. That's more than any other class."

"Good," said Squall. "I should get back to work now."

"Me too," said Irvine, yawning. "See you. Feel free to tell Rinoa all about how I saved your ass."

He walked off.

Rinoa raised her eyebrows. "He saved you?"

"He helped me out of a tight spot in the training centre," said Squall. "I don't want to talk about it. Let's go."

* * *

That night, Squall found it difficult to sleep. Rinoa lay peacefully beside him, her breathing soft and regular, long before he could even shut his eyes. It took him a while to pinpoint the reason why. Seifer. At this very moment, he was lying in a hospital bed, probably with a drip attached to him. Squall should have held back. He could have held back; he could have concentrated on disarming Seifer and defeated him that way. Their rivalry had lost none of its potency; they had fought as though they were going to kill each other.

He had to admit that he had felt good out there. He had enjoyed the adrenaline rush of fighting again, and he'd allowed the battle fury to consume him. If it hadn't been for Irvine and the young student, they both might have died. As a SeeD, Squall was no stranger to life-threatening situations. That wasn't what bothered him. What bothered him was that his lack of discipline had led directly to Seifer's incarceration in the infirmary.

He sighed and turned over. Though it was only spring, the night was hot. He wiped sweat from his brow and turned his pillow over. Rinoa shifted beside him.

"Are you still awake, Squall?" she murmured sleepily.

"Yes." He stared up at the ceiling. The knots and whirls seemed to blur before his eyes.

"What's up?"

"Nothing."

"Then go to sleep."

She snuggled against him. In only a couple of minutes, her breathing returned to the soft rhythm of sleep.

"I've got to leave you again tomorrow night," he whispered. "Your father's invited me to a party. Your father… you never saw him as your father, did you? Neither did I. He always seems like he wants to pick fault with everything. He probably doesn't think I'm a suitable person for you to marry. After all, you're his princess." He stroked her hair. "I love you." The words seemed to hang in the air, like fiery droplets which might fizzle out or explode if they came into contact with anything.

He had never said the words to her face. It was hard enough saying it out loud. It screamed neediness, and he shied away from it. But he had to face the facts. He was in love with her. He would do anything for her. He couldn't let her go to this party with him, even though he knew she would want to. She loved social occasions as much as he didn't.

"It's for your own good," he whispered.

He did it only to protect her. She was safe in Balamb Garden. Whenever he left, she stayed in the dormitories with the other students, next to Selphie or Quistis so they could look out for her.

She occupied much of her time in the library, helping out the Library Committee or reading. He hadn't known how much she loved books; she liked fairy tales the best, the kind with a beautiful princess and a knight who comes to save her. She had told Squall that she used to dream of being the beautiful princess in that story. She had remarked jokingly how the fairy tale had come true, because Squall was her knight and she was his princess.

That wasn't quite accurate. In the stories, the princess and the knight would live happily ever after in a fairy tale castle. But in the real world, Rinoa was a Sorceress, and that made her a target. In the real world, Squall was not only a Sorceress' Knight, but also a SeeD. And the purpose of SeeD was to kill the Sorceress.

* * *

Cloud woke up the next morning with his neck sore where the arm of the sofa had rubbed against it, but otherwise recovered. Judging by the position of the sun in the sky, it was some time after dawn. If the season was the same here, he guessed it was probably around eight o' clock.

He padded into the bathroom and splashed water over his face. Then he knocked on the bedroom door.

"Yuffie! Get up!"

The scenario made him think of home – of Denzel and Marlene. Cloud was always an early riser, and sometimes Tifa asked him to wake the kids up. He often ended up staying with them for at least half an hour, chatting, listening to Denzel's latest ambitions for the future, admiring Marlene's artwork… It was stupid, thinking about all this now. He always used to be distant, listening, but not contributing much to the conversation, letting their childish prattle wash over him. Every now and then he would correct them, or answer one of Denzel's constant questions. That kid wanted to know everything. He wanted to know how high the mountain of Da-Chao was in Wutai. Cloud told him to ask Yuffie that one. They'd never gotten around to it.

He hadn't realised how much he valued the people around him in his life until they were taken away. He missed them.

Yuffie's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Gimme a minute," she groaned. He heard the bed springs creak as she rolled over, and left her to it.

He had just finished a poorly cooked breakfast when she stumbled into the living room, fully dressed but rubbing her eyes.

"What time is it?"

"I'm not sure. But you need to be ready. They could come any minute."

"They'll just have to wait then." Yuffie plopped herself down at the breakfast bar which separated the kitchen area from the living room. "You didn't make me anything?"

"I'm not a goddamn housekeeper, Yuffie. Get your own food."

"Someone's grumpy today," she grumbled, but she rummaged in the cupboard and found some cereal. "I've been thinking," she said, as she ate.

Cloud sipped a cup of coffee. "Thinking? That's unusual for you."

She punched him in the arm. "No, I'm being serious this time. Last night, I was thinking about this whole situation. Someone's got to do in this Rinoa girl, right? I'm going in to Balamb Garden. I'll probably meet her. Why mess about trying to get you in as well? I could do it."

He looked straight into her dark eyes. They were earnest, with not a flicker of laughter or her usual good humour. She knew what she was offering to do. But he wondered if she had really thought this through.

"No," he said.

"What? You don't think I can? I've got my shuriken, and there's a knife hidden in my boot too. I can do it."

"Think about this, Yuffie," he said. "No, really think about it. Are you willing to kill an innocent girl in cold blood? She's the same age as you. Are you really willing to do that? Get close to her, and then just stab her to death?"

Yuffie looked uncomfortable at his words, but she lifted her chin defiantly. "I can do it. I mean, I don't want to, but if I have to – then, yeah."

He shook his head. "No, I won't let you. I don't want one of my friends to become a murderer."

"Neither do I!"

Cloud stared at the floor. "I've shed innocent blood before. I can carry the burden. My hands are stained; yours aren't. I won't stand by and let you do something like this."

She laughed bitterly. "I've gotta stand by and watch you do it instead."

"Yes, you do. You have an important job to do too. You have to get me in there. And if a fight breaks out, you'll have to support me."

She nodded. "I will. This is wrong, Cloud, what we're doing… isn't it?"

"Yeah. But I'm doing this for Tifa. As long as she can forgive me, I'll be all right."

"You have to forgive yourself," Yuffie reminded him.

He stared at her. "If this whole thing succeeds, we'll both have a lot of forgiving to do."

There was a loud knock at the door. Yuffie stood up, trembling slightly.

"Here we go."

He gave her the false papers and she picked up her shuriken.

"Oh – Yuffie, I forgot to ask you. Do you have any materia?"

She winked. "Just a couple." She waved her shuriken at him, and he saw the glowing orbs inserted into the metal handle. If Yuffie had to fight, magic might give her an advantage. No mention had been made of materia in the information about Garden, yet it had said that SeeDs often utilised magic. The notes weren't clear, but he gathered that SeeDs somehow drew power from monsters. That was quite different to his world; materia magic might therefore surprise them. It relieved him that Yuffie wasn't going in there armed only with a shuriken.

A plain-clothed man waited outside for her, smoking a cigarette. She smiled bravely as they said goodbye, and the pair of them drove off in a military truck. Cloud didn't like to let her go off into enemy territory by herself. But there wasn't much he could do about it. Yuffie had to start the mission; he would finish it. Now he must wait.

* * *

Yuffie tried to stop herself from trembling as Balamb Garden loomed before her. Her body felt jittery with nervous anticipation. The truck screeched to a halt outside the main entrance. Her driver turned to look at her appraisingly. He somehow reminded her of a cockroach – maybe it was the beady eyes, or the foul stench of the smoke which hung about him, or maybe he just looked like he'd been pulled out of the gutter.

He stroked his stubbly chin. "You're on your own from here, kid."

Yuffie threw him a scornful look before getting out of the truck. He blew a smoke ring in her face as he drove off, and she flipped the bird at him in response. _Yup, cockroach_.

All of this had been observed by a woman at the gate, who remained expressionless. She wore a smart dark grey uniform. Yuffie walked up to her. The woman's eyes were cold and hard as she rapped out, "State your name and business."

"Yuffie Kisaragi," she answered. "I'm here from Galbadia Garden…"

The woman's face softened. She flicked back her dark hair with one hand, and held out the other for Yuffie to shake. "I'm Xu," she said in a much warmer tone. "Welcome to Balamb Garden. Can I see your transfer papers?"

Yuffie handed them to her. Xu glanced at the first page, checking her profile. "That's all in order. There are supposed to be two other students transferring from Galbadia Garden though… I thought you would all travel together."

"I stayed with a friend in the city last night," Yuffie invented quickly. "I thought I might as well come straight over, rather than go back to Galbadia Garden and travel from there."

Xu raised her eyebrows. "Was that your friend?"

"Well. Ex-friend."

"I see." She glanced at her watch. "The others are due any minute. We shouldn't have long to wait."

Even as she finished her sentence, Xu looked over Yuffie's shoulder and her face broke into a smile.

"And here they come."

Yuffie turned around. Two boys strolled up to Xu, papers in hand. Xu greeted them, and checked their identification. One of the boys' hands shook as he gave them to her. He had messy blond hair that fell over his eyes, and he kept tossing his head back in a jerky movement. The other was much more confident. He posed casually with one thumb hooked in his belt, and gave Yuffie an appraising look.

"Follow me," said Xu. She led them into Balamb Garden. The place was well tended, Yuffie saw, with pale stone beneath her feet and the occasional tree planted here and there. They passed a couple of students who sat talking and laughing on a grassy banking. It was strange. Yuffie felt as though she had walked into a student campus rather than a military academy.

The two boys had been talking in low voices behind Xu, and now one of them fell into step with her.

"I haven't seen you around Galbadia Garden before," he said. "How could I possibly miss a pretty girl like you?"

Yuffie smiled at him. He was attractive in a way, with long eyelashes, high cheekbones and longish brown hair. A pretty boy. She was familiar with his type. Well, if he wanted to hit on her, let him. She could use that to her advantage.

"Oh, I think I might have seen _you_ around," she replied. "What's your name?"

"Theo," he answered. "It's a pleasure to meet you…"

"Yuffie."

"Yuffie." He offered his hand and she shook it. "I'm surprised I haven't met you in the training arena, Yuffie," he went on. "If you have the talent to become a SeeD, we should have faced each other before."

"I, er, prefer to train in private." Crap, her cover story was falling to pieces already. Theo didn't seem to notice her discomfort.

"I'm the best sword fighter in the entire Garden," he boasted. "My instructor said he'd never seen anyone who learned quicker than me. He recommended me to transfer as soon as possible."

"Great," said Yuffie. His gentlemanly manner had been impressive, but his self-obsession didn't score any points in the flirting department as far as she was concerned. Did he think she would fall over herself to praise him?

Theo continued to talk about his expert swordsmanship. The blond boy leaned in to listen too, but Yuffie's eyes glazed over. It was more important now that she observe what was going around her. She needed to become familiar with the place quickly.

They passed through a set of turnstiles, up some steps and into what seemed to be the main foyer. The Garden interior stretched out before her. The wide path curved round in a circle, and she could make out exits leading off at intervals. Xu stopped them in the middle of the foyer, next to some kind of notice board. Looking at it, Yuffie saw that it was actually an electronic plan of Garden's ground floor.

"I'll tell you where everything is in a few minutes," she said. "If you ever get stuck, just come here and take a look at this map. Or you can ask someone. Our students are always happy to help new arrivals. But before I show you to your dormitories, you need to meet the SeeD commander. Follow me."


	5. Meeting the Boss

**5 **

**Meeting the Boss  
**

Caraway contacted Squall via the vidphone. His harsh, lined face appeared on the screen, frowning as usual.

"Good morning, General Caraway," said Squall politely. He had checked on Seifer earlier, and to his relief found him recovering. Seifer was still suffering from loss of blood, but he was conscious, and alive enough to throw an insult at him. That cheered him up.

"Morning," said Caraway brusquely. "First of all, we're sending a car to pick you up tonight. The venue is the Presidential Palace. Ask the driver for the password before you get in. The answer he should give you is 'there are no jesters, only fools'. Got that?"

"Yes. Is there anything else you want that we can't discuss later?"

"I have a personal issue with you, Leonhart."

His heart sank. "Yes?"

"You're getting married to my daughter. If I know her, she'll want a big fancy wedding with all the trimmings. Don't bother. A small ceremony will do. It'll attract less attention."

"I'm afraid that's not your decision to make," said Squall.

Caraway looked at him directly. "Perhaps not, but if I were you, I'd take my advice. My officials are already getting restless about having a Sorceress wandering around freely. I'm trusting you to restrain Rinoa. Don't force me to take action."

"We were going to invite you."

Caraway's mouth opened in surprise. He quickly collected himself. "I have a busy schedule, Leonhart. It's unlikely I'll be able to make it. But I do wish you well. Take care of her for me."

"I will."

The intercom crackled and Caraway's face vanished from the screen. Squall riffled through his files until he found what he was looking for: the profiles of the students who would be arriving from Galbadia Garden today. One of them had only been delivered here this morning. He took a quick look at the notes so he could recognise the students and call them by their correct names.

* * *

Voices woke her. At first, Tifa thought it was Marlene or Denzel, sneaking into her bedroom to surprise her. Then she saw the dark walls of the cell, felt the lumpy mattress poking into her side, and remembered. She could hear the faint sounds of activity outside: machines whirring, a few people moving about, and talking.

She got up, moved to the door and pressed her ear against it, straining to hear the guards' conversation.

"This one's marked as 'Highly Dangerous'," one was saying. "You haven't approached her alone, have you?"

"No, sir," said a second, gruff voice. She recognised that one – it was the guard who had spoken to her before. "Biggs, who is she, anyway?"

"That's classified information," Biggs replied sternly. "And that means it's none of your business. Wedge, have you got the order?"

Tifa smothered a gasp at the names. What an odd coincidence… She concentrated on listening to Wedge's reply.

"Yes, sir," said a third, cheerful-sounding voice.

"Has she been fed?"

"Not yet. We were waiting for orders."

"I sent you the orders when we arrived, idiot!" Biggs sounded exasperated. "She's to be given basic rations. No visitors, and don't give her anything that can be used as a weapon. Not even a fork, got it?"

"Yes, sir," said the guard sullenly. From the sound of it, they had stopped right outside her cell. "Are you going in there or not?"

There was a pause. Tifa wondered if the men outside were afraid of her. If so, they had good reason. She stepped away from the door and crouched down with her fists raised.

"Ready? You numbskulls can go first."

She heard a click and the door slid right open. Three guards in grey uniforms walked in, each holding some kind of metal baton. That was all she had time to register, however, before she charged. She dropped the first guard with a right hook to the jaw. He flew into the wall and crumpled like a doll. In one swift movement, she twisted and kicked the second guard in the middle of his chest. He gasped as the breath left his body and collapsed right in front of her. That she hadn't quite anticipated. She lost a fraction of a second adjusting her tactics to jump over his body and attack the third guard, who would be less ill-prepared. The third guard lifted his rod as she jumped and dealt her a glancing blow which she deflected with an elbow. The shock of the baton hitting her arm sent painful sparks ricocheting up her body. She felt a blast of electricity shoot her backwards and fell to the floor, stunned.

Two more men entered the cell behind the third guard.

"She nearly got you," Biggs commented. He wore a red uniform and had a machine gun trained on her. "Worse than a SeeD, this one."

Tifa blinked. She wondered if the fall had knocked her silly. What on earth did a seed have to do with anything?

"Damn bitch," growled the mean guard who had stunned her. He stepped over the body of his fallen comrade and kicked her in the side viciously. Tifa curled up into a ball to protect herself. He was about to kick her again when Wedge shouted, "Stop! Sorry, sir," he added to Biggs, "but I can't just let him kick a defenceless girl."

The guard paused. Then he snarled, "You can't order me about." He aimed another kick at her. Tifa's arm shot out and she grabbed his foot. She pulled with all her strength, and the guard fell heavily, cursing.

"Sir, be careful!" said Wedge. Funny, she had been unconsciously expecting to see a fat, friendly-faced man wearing a red bandana… but that Wedge had died some time ago. This Wedge was a thin soldier in a blue uniform, armed with a sword.

"Move again and I'll shoot," said Biggs.

"Shall I put my hands up?" she asked.

"Yes, go on then."

She stood up slowly and raised her hands. The grey-clothed guards around her were recovering. They got up, rubbing their bruises and grimacing. The man she had punched in the jaw seemed to be in considerable pain. Blood ran down his chin and he was unable to open his mouth.

"Take him away," Biggs ordered. Two of the guards left, leaving only the mean guard, Wedge and Biggs.

"What now, sir?" asked Wedge.

"Read out the message."

Wedge pulled out a crumpled piece of paper which was tucked in his belt. He flattened it out and began to read in a clear, officious voice. "Unnamed prisoner forty nine, heed this warning. You are in a state-of-the-art, high-security prison. As you know, our guards are strong and their tolerance level is low. You are… er… no match for them." Wedge glanced at his superior, who flicked his hand impatiently. "Disobedience or cheek will result in a severe beating. Stay quiet if you want to stay alive. That is all."

Tifa laughed. "So what did you come in here for? To show me what big, tough guys you all are, huh? See how I'm quaking in my boots?"

The two soldiers looked at each other.

"Well, we've done our duty," said Biggs.

"Yes, sir," Wedge agreed. "Let's go."

They backed out of the cell, the superior officer in front. Tifa stood with her arms folded, watching them. Now might be her best chance to escape. She heard a mechanical hiss as the door started to slide shut. She ran forward; Biggs yelped as she pelted towards him. He squeezed the trigger of his machine gun.

* * *

Xu led them up a set of steps and into an elevator. As they went up, Yuffie felt her stomach drop. She knew from the information she had been given that the SeeD commander was Squall Leonhart, an eighteen year old SeeD with a scar on his forehead. She would have to lie to his face. Well, that wasn't hard. Yuffie was well experienced in the art of deception. She just wondered if she would be able to live with herself afterwards.

The elevator felt cramped with the four of them inside. Theo stood closer to her than she would have liked. He brushed her arm with his hand and she flinched. Xu shot them a cross look. Theo grinned and folded his arms, while Yuffie blushed. She was really jumpy today.

They emerged in a narrow hall on the third floor. Straight ahead there was another elevator. She could see the levers and pulleys but the elevator wasn't enclosed – it was simply a metal platform. Yuffie noticed two other doors, one on the left and one on the right. The right one was unmarked, but a sign on the left one read 'Commander's Office'.

Xu knocked at the door. A voice from inside called, "Come in," and Xu ushered them forward.

"The transfer students, Commander."

Yuffie felt herself pushed slightly by Theo behind her and stumbled into the room, blinking like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

Xu grinned. "Say hello to the commander of SeeD."

And there he was, sitting at his desk, facing them. The office was pristine; even though she could see a huge pile of papers weighing down his in-tray, they were stacked neatly. Everything was very orderly. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognised the scar on Squall's face. The lines of his face were set; he looked serious and he sat rigidly wearing his SeeD uniform. It suited him. She tried not to think of how attractive he was and instead remember that she was here to get his girlfriend killed.

Squall consulted his notes. "You are… Theodore Redfearn, Elros Beck and Yuffie Kisaragi, correct?"

They nodded. Theo and Elros clapped their arms to their chests. Yuffie copied them. They stood in a line. Normally Yuffie liked to slouch with one hand on her hip, but she strove to keep her knees unbent and her back straight to keep up a military appearance, as the boys were doing.

Squall stood with his arms behind his back and inspected them. He didn't move, but his eyes passed over each of their faces as he spoke. "Welcome to Balamb Garden. I have been told that you three are the most promising students from Galbadia Garden. Each of you is the best in their field. Here at Balamb Garden we pride ourselves on our excellence. SeeD are elite fighters. They are the best of the best. If you wish to join the SeeD ranks, your skill and conduct must be exemplary. Good luck, all of you."

When his gaze rested on her, Yuffie met his eyes with all the confidence she could muster. His expression remained inscrutable, and she hoped hers did too. _If only you knew_, she thought. _If only you knew…_

Squall looked at Xu, who nodded.

"You may go."

They filed out. Yuffie's heart rate returned to normal. She was in. Now all she had to do was find Rinoa.

* * *

The door only just slid shut in time. The resulting crash told Biggs that her body had slammed into it. He ducked as his own bullets ricocheted off the solid metal. One zipped right over his head. Another hit Wedge's sword with a resounding clang, and a third grazed the young soldier's arm. Wedge winced.

"I've been hit, sir."

"It's only a scratch," said Biggs dismissively.

"That doesn't stop it hurting, sir!"

"What are you going to do, sue me?"

The gruff-voiced guard, whose name was Teller, spoke. "You can take him to the infirmary if you want. That's where the other guys went."

Biggs didn't like Teller very much – he didn't like anyone who enjoyed kicking a girl, even if the girl in question was a dangerous and deadly criminal – but he decided to suffer his company for a few more minutes, if only for Wedge's sake. Plus Biggs had heard that the nurses in the prison infirmary made a stellar cup of coffee.

"Lead the way," Biggs ordered.

Teller pulled his grey cap lower over his greasy brown hair. He shuffled off and the two soldiers followed him, removing their headgear to show they weren't on duty. Biggs was familiar with D-District Prison, but he hadn't visited since the officer's mess was rebuilt. The infirmary was now in a completely different area.

Next to him, Wedge clutched his bleeding arm. Biggs wrinkled his nose.

"You're dripping blood all over the floor."

"Sorry, sir."

"A janitor will clean it up, don't you worry," said Teller.

They climbed two floors, until they eventually arrived at the top. D-District Prison was a huge structure in the middle of a desert. There were three main buildings, tower-like structures, connected by huge open-air bridges. The ground floor of the prison was actually underground; the main exit was at the top of the building. They walked along the bridge. Biggs tried not to look over the edge to the desert hundreds of feet below them. It made him feel dizzy.

"Here we are," said Teller, opening a small side door, marked with an 'H'.

The infirmary was small, but clean, with whitewashed walls, quite unlike the dark metallic prison floors. A nurse stepped forward from behind a counter; she wore grey like the uniform of the guards.

"Another injured party? Someone's been kicking up trouble."

"Never you mind, woman," Teller growled. "Get this soldier fixed up. He's got a busted arm."

The nurse shot Teller a dirty look before taking a look at Wedge. She lifted Wedge's torn sleeve and inspected the wound. "You're lucky, it's shallow. I'll get it bandaged for you in half a minute. Follow me."

* * *

After she had got rid of the two boys, Xu showed Yuffie the girls' dormitories and handed her a key.

"Like all our students, you'll be sharing a dorm," Xu told her. "Your roommate is called Juna Rivers, got that? You'll find a timetable on the wall of your room, but don't worry; we won't make you start classes today. I suggest you use the afternoon to take a look around. You have until six o' clock this evening to choose the classes you'll be taking."

"Thanks," said Yuffie. Xu smiled and left. Yuffie looked at her key. The leather strap attached to it said 'B15'. She walked along the corridor, which split into three. A sign on the left corridor said 'A Block', the middle 'B Block' and the right 'C Block'. Other than that the corridors themselves all looked the same, and the doors to the dormitories were all non-descript too, no personal signs or any hint of individuality about them apart from the room numbers. She found B15 easily enough.

She unlocked it, and entered to find herself in a small sitting room of sorts, with a table and a couple of chairs on one side. A nearly empty bookcase dominated the wall on the other side. The room was very obviously occupied – a girl sat doing her make-up at the table, her face intent on the mirror in her hand. A jacket was strewn over another chair, and discarded pairs of shoes littered the floor.

"Hi," said Yuffie.

The girl jumped and poked herself in the eye with her mascara. "Ow!" Eyes streaming, she pulled a tissue out of the box on the table and dabbed her eye.

"Sorry," said Yuffie, trying not to laugh. It wouldn't do to get on the wrong side of her roommate straight away. "I'm Yuffie. You knew I was coming, didn't you?"

"Yeah. You probably should have knocked or something first." She sighed and scrunched up the tissue. "Damn… where's my make-up remover?"

Yuffie sat down opposite her and decided to make conversation, even though the girl didn't look that keen to start one. She was now carefully wiping away the mascara from her eye.

"So," said Yuffie, "aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

"Sorry, yeah," she answered, without looking at her. "I'm Juna Rivers. I'd show you round or something, but I've got to meet my instructor and I'm already running late."

"Your instructor?"

"Irvine Kinneas. He's hot. You'd like him. Look in your room and see if he's teaching you."

Yuffie was slightly taken aback by Juna's dismissive response – _talk about unfriendly_, she thought – and also by the fact that she referred to her instructor as 'hot'. She swallowed an angry response – _think of the mission_ – and got up.

"Which is my room?"

"The empty one with your suitcase in it," said Juna irritably.

_My suitcase? I have a suitcase?_ She took a quick peek in both rooms. Juna's was a mess of clothes and homework, not to mention the pair of lethal-looking daggers which had been tossed carelessly on her bed. It was a jarring sight, and reminded Yuffie that even though she might look like an innocent student, Juna too was training to be a killer. Her own room was empty, the walls painted a rather dull off-white. A small suitcase did indeed lie on her bed. She opened it eagerly.

Its contents did not excite her. She had been hoping for some kind of secret weapon or a message, because that was what suitcases sent to people on assassination missions contained, or at least they did on television. But inside she found only clothes along with a few other bits and pieces, like a toothbrush and hairbrush. Her common sense caught up with her, and she realised that any luggage sent into Garden would probably be checked. Besides, she already had a weapon and a means of communication with Cloud. She touched the mobile phone which she had stored in the pocket of her shorts. They had sent her what she really needed, which was a change of clothes. She just hoped the size was right.

Yuffie decided she might as well act like a normal student and unpack. She was about halfway through when Juna appeared in the doorway. Juna wore the standard blue student uniform, though Yuffie thought her skirt looked too short and her yellow tie had been knotted at a jaunty angle. She batted her long mascara-laden lashes at Yuffie.

"I'm going now, okay?"

Yuffie put her hands on her hips. "Who are you trying to impress?"

Juna blushed. "Why do you say that?"

"Hey, I'm going to be your roomie. No point keeping secrets from me."

"Okay… so Irvine and I are kinda… seeing each other." The red in Juna's cheeks deepened, the effect heightened by the blusher the girl was wearing.

"Your instructor? Is that even allowed?"

Juna shrugged. "I dunno, but don't tell anyone, okay?"

Yuffie couldn't help a big grin spreading across her face. "Okay, whatever."

Juna departed the room. Yuffie checked her timetable which had been pinned on the wall. Her personal instructor was indeed one Instructor Kinneas. She unpacked the rest of her stuff, noticing that she had a student uniform identical to Juna's. She didn't want to wear it yet. She checked that her knife was safe and snug against her boot and that her shuriken was strapped on her back. Then she left the dormitory to explore the Garden.

* * *

After the incident with the guards in her cell, Tifa had been left well alone. She had expected some kind of punishment. Her shoulder still ached from where she had smashed into the door, but she didn't think she was seriously injured. She felt ready enough to make a proper attempt at escape, at least. There had to be a way out of here. She had got out of tighter spots before, after all. Tifa shuddered as she remembered the stint in the gas chamber. A lucky chance had saved her then; an attack by Weapon had ripped a hole in the roof of the cell so she could climb out. But the Weapons had all vanished. If Rufus Shinra was behind all this, she wouldn't let him off this time. No matter how many Turks got in her way, she would consider their alliance over and take down as many as she had to.

Frustrated, she yelled at the intercom on the ceiling. "Let me out, damn you! Let me out!"

She got up and kicked the door, then promptly hopped around the cell clutching her foot. Whatever metal that door was made of, it was strong.

The intercom crackled again. "Unnamed prisoner forty nine, desist at once!"

"Screw you!"

Ignoring the pain in her foot, she kicked the door again and then slammed against it with her body for good measure.

"Unnamed prisoner forty nine, stop right now!"

An idea struck her. She strode over to the tiny sink, gripped it tight with both her hands and pulled as hard as she could. Tifa's anger gave her strength. She ripped the sink away from the wall and fell over. Water gushed out of the pipe which had connected to the basin. Her head cracked on the hard floor. Wincing, she set the sink aside and pulled herself up, her hands slipping on the quickly-forming puddle. She squinted as spray hit her face. The hole left in the wall was tiny and barred with metal pipes. Still, she could vandalise the place some more by ripping them away too…


	6. Trouble Causer

**6**

**Trouble Causer**

Yuffie was lost. This place was bigger than she had originally thought. She stopped in a deserted corridor on the second floor and considered her options. The sooner she found Rinoa, the better, so she might as well start asking now. But other students might get suspicious if she kept asking odd questions. She needed to find someone close to Rinoa, someone who could lead her to the Sorceress.

A girl emerged from a nearby classroom. She was small, shorter than Yuffie, and she had brown flicked-out hair. She brushed down her yellow dress and started walking down the corridor towards Yuffie, humming something.

"Hey," said Yuffie, "would you mind helping me?"

The girl stopped and smiled at her. "Sure, what's up?"

"I'm new here and I'm totally lost!"

She laughed. "Oh, you poor thing! I remember when I first transferred here, I was like, this place is soooo big! I'll give you a guided tour if you like. What's your name?"

"Yuffie."

"I'm Selphie." She held out her hand and Yuffie shook it. Selphie started walking and Yuffie followed her. "So, are you one of our new arrivals from Galbadia Garden?"

"Yep."

"Well, you'll be happy you came. Balamb Garden is so much better than that stuffy old place."

"Did you come from there?"

"No, I transferred from Trabia Garden." Selphie's bright smile faded a little. "I wanted Squall to rebuild it but…"

Yuffie had never heard of Trabia Garden, but she caught on to Selphie's mention of Squall. "Squall? Squall Leonhart, the Garden commander? You know him?"

"Yeah, we're good friends." She grinned. "I could never call him 'Commander Leonhart'. He'll always be plain old Squall to me. We passed the SeeD exam together."

Yuffie was eager to know more, and Selphie was happy to tell her. They walked around Balamb Garden, chatting amicably and Yuffie learned a lot. She knew that as a SeeD candidate, Selphie would probably expect her to be curious about the SeeD test, so she asked lots of questions. Selphie told her the story of her SeeD test and how a candidate called Seifer almost ruined the exam for her by deserting his post. Then she told Yuffie about her first mission with Squall and another SeeD, Zell. Selphie was a good story-teller and she made Yuffie laugh.

"We went to Timber and found out we'd be working for Rinoa," said Selphie. "That's how she and Squall met. Well, that wasn't the first time they met, but they would have never gotten together if it wasn't for that mission."

Yuffie caught her breath. "Rinoa? Who's that?"

"Squall's fiancée. I bet you thought Squall was hot the first time you saw him, didn't you?"

Yuffie nodded and they shared a giggle.

"Tough luck, girl, he's already taken. Hmm, I'm getting hungry. Let's take a quick look in the library and then I'll show you to the cafeteria."

"Thanks a lot," said Yuffie. "It was kind of scary wandering around on my own."

Selphie chuckled as they walked into the library. "You'll get used to it. Hey, look who's here! Rinoa!" She squealed and ran to hug another girl who had just finished stacking a pile of books.

Yuffie was unprepared for the sudden encounter. Her knees suddenly trembled and she had to grab onto the counter to stay upright. Sorceress Rinoa. She was facing the person she had come to kill.

* * *

Biggs and Teller were about to follow Wedge, but the nurse stopped them. She was quite stout, and the determined look in her eyes told Biggs that this wasn't someone to be crossed.

"You two stay here," she said. "You'll only get in my way."

Teller shrugged bad-temperedly. He took one of the small plastic seats in the waiting area and lit a cigarette. Biggs sighed and leaned against the wall. He tapped his feet.

"You look tired," Teller commented.

"Yeah, I am. We've been travelling back and forth for two days."

"What, from Caraway City?"

"Yeah. Transporting the prisoner, then guarding the boss… running around like headless chocobos, following orders."

Teller grunted. _What does he know? He's just a prison guard_, Biggs thought. He didn't know what it was like to be a soldier. A year ago, he had been sick of being treated like cannon fodder. Being a soldier in the Galbadian army was not as fun as the advertisements made it out to be. He had worked his way slowly up the ranks, with his officers praising him as a solid, if unimaginative soldier and he had finally managed to scrape some savings together. He wanted enough to be able to retire comfortably.

It had all gone wrong in Dollet…

"Have you and Wedge known each other for a long time?" Teller asked.

"Yeah, we're old war buddies. You remember the attack on Dollet?"

The guard nodded.

"It was Wedge and I who took control of the Dollet Communication Tower."

Biggs lapsed into silence as he pondered over the memory. He had thought it a fairly routine mission. Then the SeeDs had turned up. They were kids. _Kids_. The girl – he could have had a daughter that age. But they had broken their way right through the Galbadian defences and attacked him. They had left both him and Wedge for dead. With the last of his strength, he had sent one of Galbadia's finest war machines after them – a semi-intelligent robot with enough power to flatten half the town – and they had escaped.

After that, he had been demoted. The second time he had encountered the SeeDs, they had been in this very prison. They had broken out, getting through all the prison's sophisticated defences: artillery, robots and guards. There was really no stopping them.

Pretty soon, he was unable to bear the ridicule of his fellow officers. Only Wedge's cheerful support kept him going. The final straw came when he was called to investigate the Lunatic Pandora. He didn't have any idea what the thing was – some Estharian invention the Galbadians had taken control of. He met the same SeeDs again. Seriously, how unlucky could one man get? By then, he'd had enough.

He announced to Wedge that he was quitting. Wedge was astonished. But he was sick of it: sick of the low wages, sick of getting all the worst missions, sick of the whole army. Wedge stuck by him, like he always did. The two of them deserted their post, just like that, and returned to Galbadia. He had been all prepared to walk into the military headquarters and hand in his resignation.

What actually happened was that he and Wedge were seized by a group of soldiers on their way into the city. Once the soldiers checked their identities, they were detained. Apparently it was against Galbadian law to quit the army. Well, he wished he'd noticed _that_ little sub-clause when he joined up.

They had been left to stew in a cell reserved especially for soldiers awaiting punishment. Biggs had panicked. All his brave resolutions about giving the military what they deserved and not taking any more of this shit evaporated on the spot.

"They're going to kill us," he whimpered. "We're going to be shot for going AWOL."

"Cheer up, sir," said Wedge. "It might never happen."

Biggs felt like banging his head against the wall. "And the sun might not rise tomorrow!" he shouted. "We're screwed, we're totally screwed. We should have stayed in Esthar and become florists or something."

"I'm not that keen on flowers, sir."

"I don't know, swimming instructors then!" Where the hell he was getting these jobs from, he didn't know. It had seemed logical at the time. He remembered that Esthar was very blue, and lacking in flowers.

Amazingly enough, Biggs' dire predictions about how they were going to be lined up against a wall and shot turned out to be wrong, and Wedge's hopeful suggestion that someone might bail them out turned out to be right.

Teller stubbed out his cigarette. "You're one of Kelling's guys now, ain't yer?"

"How did you know?"

The guard laughed. "They're the ones who get worked the hardest."

"Too right."

But when Kelling had entered the cell and offered them employment in exchange for their lives, Biggs had been so grateful he would have accepted anything. Biggs and Wedge were officially made redundant, but unofficially Kelling paid them well to pretend to be Galbadian soldiers. They kept their uniforms, and stayed by Kelling whenever he went to a political meeting or needed a bodyguard. The money was better than any salary he'd received in the main army. Biggs and Wedge thought their fortunes had changed for the better.

But as he thought of his job now, he still felt a sense of injustice. Nothing had changed. Kelling treated him just as dismissively as any of his previous commanders.

Teller noticed Biggs' frown. He folded his arms reflectively.

"Life's shit, ain't it?"

Biggs found himself nodding in agreement, but then he stopped. He was tired and grumpy and Teller was bad company; he was a complainer. Biggs needed someone to cheer him up, not bring him down.

What he really needed was a cup of coffee.

Wedge returned, smiling, with his arm bandaged. The stout nurse told him not to exercise it too much for a couple of days.

"Excuse me," said Biggs. "Would you mind making us a cup of coffee?"

At first he thought she was going to refuse him, but then her face softened. "Very well. Why don't you go through into the officer's mess?"

Teller stood up. "Get me one too. Black, no sugar."

The woman stared at him and sniffed. "You can get your own."

Biggs hastily interrupted before Teller could yell at the nurse. "You go and check on the other guards," he ordered.

Teller's face was the picture of sullenness. "Yes… sir."

"That's got rid of him," said Biggs in satisfaction.

"Well done, sir," said Wedge. "Couldn't have done it better myself."

"No, you couldn't," Biggs chuckled. He felt pleased with himself. The small things in life, like a nice cup of coffee. That's what he looked forward to these days.

The two of them strolled into the officer's mess. A few grey-clothed guards grunted at them, but they were embroiled in a game of Triple Triad and didn't strike up a conversation. This was fine with Biggs. He sat down on the only other couch, and rested his legs on the messy coffee table. Barely any wood could be seen; the table was covered with old magazines, empty coffee mugs, newspapers and leftover food. The nurse came in holding two steaming cups of coffee and the soldiers murmured their thanks as she set the cups down on the table.

Wedge squeezed his arm lightly and winced. "Still sore."

"Stop whining. You sound like my mother."

"Sorry, sir. Hey, you know that prisoner? Do you have any idea who she is?"

"No," said Biggs. "Kelling isn't going to tell the likes of us, is he? Fact is, he's keeping her there without General Caraway knowing."

"Did you see the way she fought?" Wedge marvelled. "Are you sure she's not a SeeD, sir?"

Biggs shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm not going in there again. Not for any amount of money."

"Do you know what she's in there for?"

"No." Biggs was unconcerned. It was his job to follow orders, not to understand them.

"Maybe it's got something to do with the plot to kill the sorceress, sir."

"You're talking rubbish as normal, Wedge."

Wedge drank his coffee and smacked his lips. "Ah, that's really good coffee." He leaned back and settled himself more comfortably next to Biggs. "This is the life. Better than running around all the time, eh, sir?"

Biggs gulped down his coffee before replying, feeling it burn the back of his throat. But Wedge was right. It was good coffee. "I hope you mean that, Wedge, because our orders are to stay here and guard the prisoner."

"Guard her? Why? What are the prison guards for if not to do that?"

"You ask too many questions," Biggs growled. "It's all classified, got that? Classified information."

There was a short pause.

"You don't know, do you, sir?"

"No."

Wedge sighed. Biggs had told him before; he was too inquisitive for his own good.

Wedge drained his cup and spoke slowly, as though weighing every word. "You don't think Kelling is hiding her from Caraway, do you? That he doesn't want the General to know, I mean. She could be related to him in some way."

"It's Rinoa who's related to the General, not her, you dolt." He had picked that much up from all the talk he heard of hunting for sorceresses. General Caraway absolutely refused to pick up his errant daughter, even though she was a known sorceress and he had agreed to Kelling's suggestion to scout the rest of the country for potential sorceresses.

"The General's daughter…" said Wedge thoughtfully. "Biggs, have you ever thought about having a kid?"

Biggs looked at Wedge in faint surprise. "A kid? Nah. Never found the right woman."

"Really? You never met anybody, all those years serving in the army?"

"No." There had been a couple of women, in fact, when he was young and naïve. One of them he had only been seeing for a short while before she got killed. He later learned that she had been a member of the resistance faction in Timber. Another he had been with for a couple of months before he got transferred to Dollet and he never saw her again. After that, he realised that the life of a soldier wasn't really compatible with long term relationships. He stared at the dregs in his coffee cup for a moment, before a suspicion hit him. "What's gotten into you, Wedge? Have you met someone?"

The young soldier blushed. "Maybe I have."

"Who?"

* * *

A faint hiss indicated that the cell door had opened. Guards burst in. Tifa jumped up, ready to fight them, but slipped on the wet floor. She stumbled back onto the mattress.

"Stun the bitch!" one of the guards ordered.

"Oh no, you don't," she snarled. As one of them leapt forward, her foot shot up and caught him right between his legs. He let out a strangled cry and fell back. She ran straight at the next one, determined not to get hit this time, dodged his baton and punched him in the chest. Then she ducked as a third guard threw a punch at her, and spun with her leg flashing out, tripping him.

All the guards were down. She ran to the door, almost screaming with delight when it slid open for her. As she emerged, an alarm went off. Red light flashed around the dark interior of the prison. Her heart sank as she realised she didn't know which way to go. No matter. She had to run.

And run she did, as the alarms wailed around her and she spotted soldiers running down a set of stairs to intercept her and a female mechanical voice announced, "Warning! Escapee alert! Monsters will be set loose on each floor."

* * *

Wedge fiddled with a loose thread on his bandaged arm.

"Answer me, dammit."

"Well… you're not going to like this…" Wedge hesitated. "That girl in the prison cell," he finished, his voice a whisper.

"_What_?"

"I know," said Wedge, misty-eyed. "Remember, when we were taking her here, you were driving, and I stayed in the back with her, to make sure she didn't wake up. She's really pretty."

"For God's sake, you sound like a lovesick puppy! And over her! She's a damn criminal. She's dangerous. She could have killed us!"

"I know, sir." Wedge looked at him pleadingly. "You won't tell Kelling, will you?"

Biggs sighed. "No. The things I do for you… Listen now, this is an order. You'd better not let any feelings get in the way of doing your job, got that?"

"Yes, sir."

"You really do know how to pick 'em, you know that?"

"Yes, sir. Like that student in Deling City, do you remember?"

He remembered, all right. That was before the Dollet mission. They had been stationed in Galbadia. Wedge had met a girl shopping in the arcade and was immediately captivated by her, as he was wont to do. Despite all his best efforts, Biggs' cynicism had never managed to cure Wedge, who was a romantic at heart. It turned out that the girl was a student from Balamb Garden and a martial arts specialist. She was also only fifteen years old. Wedge's attempt to woo her ended disastrously, and culminated in him limping into the hotel bar with a black eye. The boys at the bar never let him live that one down.

"You were young and stupid then, Wedge," said Biggs reflectively. "I thought you'd grown out of it, but no. You're still young and stupid."

Wedge grinned. "That's me, sir."

Suddenly a guard burst into the room. "Hey, you soldiers! You're responsible for that nameless prisoner, aren't you? You'd better come quick. There's trouble!"

Biggs and Wedge looked at each other. He was sure they were thinking the same thing. _Shit_.

* * *

Rinoa enjoyed working in the library. The atmosphere was quiet and peaceful, but there were always the girls on the Library Committee to talk to. They chatted about books, Garden gossip, and Marika's latest attempt to get Zell to notice her.

She had just finished stacking a pile of books when Selphie arrived. The first thing she knew about it was when Selphie shouted her name and almost crushed her in an enthusiastic embrace. Rinoa laughed and returned the hug.

"It's great to see you back safe and sound, Selphie," she said.

Selphie stepped back and gestured to another girl who was holding onto the main desk and staring at Rinoa. "Rinoa, meet Yuffie. Yuffie, meet Rinoa."

"Hi," said Rinoa. She held out her hand uncertainly. The girl's large dark eyes made her feel uncomfortable the way she was staring at her. She had short black hair and long skinny legs which barely looked able to support her. Yuffie stumbled forward and shook her hand. She let go quickly. Rinoa shot Selphie a puzzled look, but her friend didn't seem to have noticed.

"Yuffie's new here," said Selphie. "I was just giving her a tour."

"Oh, that's great," said Rinoa, injecting a friendly tone into her voice. "I hope you like it here, Yuffie."

"I'm sure I will," said Yuffie. She grinned suddenly. "I've made a new friend already. Selphie's told me all about you."

"Really?"

"D'you wanna get some lunch in the cafeteria with us?" Selphie chipped in. "I'm starving!"

"Yeah – sure," said Rinoa distractedly. "Oh, but… I wanted to talk to you in private, Selphie."

"That's okay," said Yuffie, while Selphie looked uncertain. "I can find my way back on my own. Is it okay if I meet you later, Selphie?"

"Yeah, I'll be hanging out by the quad. See you!"

"It was nice to meet you," Rinoa called after her as the girl left.

Selphie fixed her with a penetrating stare. "So, what's up?"

"Let's go to the cafeteria. We can talk there."

* * *

Tifa ran, her boots slapping hard on the black floor. A burst of gunfire hit the wall above her. She rolled over and crouched with her back against the barrier which surrounded the circular walkway. Bullets whined over the barrier and peppered the wall. Breathing hard, Tifa stayed as low as she could as she moved along the walkway. A stairwell appeared in front of her, but it was blocked by two strange-looking machines. They were essentially large yellow boxes with metal limbs attached. The arms of the robots ended in what looked like yellow cannon balls. One of them jumped towards her with surprising agility and swung its spherical fist at her head.

Tifa dodged and ran behind the robot, causing it to pause in confusion as it wondered where its quarry had gone. _Stupid artificial intelligence_, she thought. She smashed its legs with a low sweeping kick and the machine toppled over. The second machine, apparently having learnt nothing from the fate of the first, leapt towards her swinging its fist in exactly the same movement as the machine she had just defeated. Tifa didn't even bother to hit it this time. She dodged behind it and dashed down the stairwell to the next floor.

This floor was exactly the same as the one above it, except that it contained a group of about five guards all carrying guns who seemed to have been waiting for her to emerge.

"Freeze!"

Tifa swallowed. The men were only a few feet away from her. It would be hard for them to miss if they chose to shoot. If she dashed back up the stairs again, she might be quick enough to avoid them. She glanced behind her, but two more soldiers had just come up the stairwell behind her. She was surrounded.

"Put your hands up!" snarled one of the soldiers.

Slowly, she did as she was told.

"Back up against the wall."

As Tifa obeyed, the guards edged towards her. Now they were at point blank range. Someone shoved two of the guards out of his way. She recognised the red uniform and machine gun.

"You're a real trouble-causer," said Biggs. "I ought to break your legs to stop this kind of nonsense."

"Why don't you try it when you haven't got these thugs backing you up?" she spat.

The soldier's fists trembled with rage, but Wedge laid a gloved hand on his shoulder, and Biggs controlled himself. "I don't think she's going to come quietly," he remarked to the other guards. He nodded at one of them.

The guard stepped forward. He put his pistol back in its holster and drew out a baton from his belt. Tifa shrank back instinctively, but she was already against the wall; there was nowhere else to go. The guard pointed the baton at her. He pressed it and an arc of electricity struck Tifa. She experienced a moment of dizzying pain before she blacked out.


	7. A Crowded Lunch

**7**

** A Crowded Lunch**

Her heart beating fast, Yuffie left the library. She took a moment to collect herself. _Think, Yuffie. You can't give up already. This is a great chance to find out more about Rinoa._ She could go back to the dormitory and chill out, take things slow. After all, it was only her first day, and already she had met the Sorceress. Making friends with Selphie would also provide her with the perfect route to Rinoa, if she trod carefully. But Yuffie was hungry, and she remembered that Selphie had been about to go to the cafeteria too. If Rinoa and Selphie went there, Yuffie could watch them.

Her mind made up, Yuffie strolled around Garden, noticing the pools of water below the walkways. The surface was calm, not a ripple stirring, and the green plants were still as well. She couldn't tell if they were fake or real. At first she thought she had lost her way again, so she was relieved when she saw the sign for the cafeteria, and the dark red stripes on the walkway that marked the correct entrance.

Once inside, Yuffie joined the short queue and ordered a hotdog with extra sauce. She looked around for somewhere to sit. A large crowd of students were lounging around two tables, some eating, some talking and a few playing cards. She recognised Theo, who waved to her. Sighing, she decided she might as well join them.

Theo grinned and indicated the empty seat next to him.

"Hey, Yuffie, how's it going?"

"I've been looking around. This seems like a nice place."

Theo started to introduce her to the other students. Yuffie smiled and nodded, but she was distracted by the appearance of Selphie and Rinoa. They took an empty table together in the far corner, where only a few other students sat. Yuffie shifted her chair slightly so they remained in her view. She only half-listened to the conversation around her.

* * *

Selphie bit into a hotdog with an enthusiasm Rinoa would normally have associated with Zell.

"I can see why he likes 'em so much," she said through a mouthful.

Rinoa picked at her salad. "Have you seen Irvine today?"

"Oh, so _that_'s what you wanted to talk about. I went up to his classroom earlier but he was busy teaching. He said he'd meet us for lunch."

"How are you two?"

"We're spiffy." Selphie grinned and winked at her before taking another huge bite out of the hotdog.

"Irvine said that you have an open relationship…"

"Uh-huh."

Rinoa frowned. "And you're okay with that?" She had always thought that Selphie's notion of love was highly romantic. Selphie was the first person she had told when Squall proposed to her. They had both giggled about it – when Rinoa told her about the red roses, Selphie had dissolved into helpless laughter – but she also expressed admiration about how 'totally adorable' Squall was.

"Sure, I'm cool with it." Selphie's face was the picture of innocence.

"Do you… do you love him?"

She sighed and stared dreamily at the ceiling. "I don't know, really. I just know that's he's fun to hang out with, and he's a great guy. We're not serious or anything. We live the moment."

"Live the moment…" Rinoa lapsed into a thoughtful silence. She hadn't realised how different Selphie's outlook was from her own. Rinoa thought about the future a lot. She was always looking forward to better times – like to her wedding. And when she did reach that perfect moment, she wanted to stay there forever. It had happened only a couple of times, reaching that state when she was just perfectly content, desiring nothing. Like that time she was with Squall in the cockpit of the spaceship, just the two of them, together. But most of the time, her ambitions drove her onwards. The limits on her situation often frustrated her, but she was determined no matter what to get what she wanted.

Selphie was different. They were both naturally positive, but in some ways she envied the other girl. Selphie's immediate concern was always the here and now. As long as she stayed active, she was happy. And Selphie found it much easier to meet new people and make friends with them too. At least, that was what it felt like. What was the name of the girl Selphie had introduced her to in the library? Yuffie. That was it.

* * *

"Yuffie… that's a really nice name. I'm Dacha."

She shook hands with another boy, whose bright blue eyes reminded her of Cloud. _But I guess they don't have Mako here_, she mused.

Theo elbowed Dacha out of the way. "Have you decided what classes you'll be taking yet, Yuffie?"

"No."

"You should take GF lessons!" Dacha interjected. "All the top SeeDs use GFs."

"GFs?" Yuffie repeated blankly. Oh yes… she remembered reading something about them in the notes. GF stood for 'Guardian Force'. As far as she could make out, they were a kind of monster or spirit that people could use to enhance their powers.

"Yeah," Dacha went on, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "You should try summoning one – they're _awesome_."

"Have you ever summoned one?" Theo asked.

"No, but I saw my instructor do it."

Yuffie ignored the conversation and glanced over to Rinoa's table. The two girls were still eating, their heads bent towards each other. They didn't look like moving any time soon. As she watched, a young man wearing a cowboy hat walked over to them. His long ponytail trailed down his back.

* * *

"Irvy!"

Startled out of her reverie, Rinoa looked up to see Irvine walking towards them. He tipped his hat.

"Hey, guys."

* * *

That was all Yuffie had time to see, however, as a second later someone blocked her view. Juna stormed up to the group; her eyes were black with running mascara and her cheeks a blotchy red.

"Did Irvine come in here?" she demanded.

"Yeah, he's over there," said Dacha.

"What's up, sweetie?" Theo asked. But Juna ignored him; at Dacha's words she whipped around and let out a strangled growl. Yuffie stood up and followed Juna's gaze.

* * *

Selphie jumped, snatched his hat and sat back down, grinning as she put it on.

"Whoa there," said Irvine. He placed the tray of food he was carrying on to the table, and slid an arm around Selphie as he joined them. Selphie snuggled into his arm. Irvine nodded to Rinoa, and then turned his attention to his girlfriend. "How'd the Esthar mission go, Sefie?"

Selphie pulled a face. "It was booooring. I wanted to blow it all up and start again, but they wouldn't let me."

As the two of them chattered, Rinoa wondered whether she ought to confront Irvine in front of his girlfriend. How much did Selphie really know about what was going on behind her back?

* * *

"That's Irvine? The one with… oh." Irvine was sitting down with his arm draped casually around Selphie.

"Does anyone have a tissue?" Juna asked, to the world in general. A female student, whose name Yuffie had forgotten though they had been introduced a few minutes before, handed her one and Juna wiped her eyes.

"What's wrong, Juna?" the female student asked. "Did he fail you on something?"

Juna shook her head, but it was obvious she wanted to tell everyone. She compressed her lips and dabbed her eyes furiously.

"Do you wanna find a more private table and talk about it?" Yuffie asked, all the while watching Rinoa. She could get a closer seat.

"Okay," Juna sniffed. The female student looked as though she wanted to come along, but Juna gave a tiny shake of her head, and the girl returned to her seat.

"Come here," said Yuffie, taking Juna's arm. She steered her towards a nearby table, right opposite Rinoa and her friends. Juna stared at Irvine and Selphie and growled again. She reminded Yuffie of an angry cat.

"What happened?"

"I went to meet Irvine… and he like totally blew me off!" Juna had finished wiping her eyes, but there was no trace of a tear now. Only suppressed rage. "He said I was fun to hang around with, but I should concentrate more on my studies. Then I came in here and saw him with _her_." She spat the word as though it was a poisonous snake.

"That girl? Who is she?" Yuffie and Juna both looked across to Rinoa's table. Selphie was leaning on Irvine's shoulder and the pair gazed into each other's eyes as they talked. _They certainly look like a couple_, Yuffie thought.

"She's a bitch!" Juna snarled. "Her name's Selphie; she's just got back from a SeeD mission and already she's stolen my boyfriend. I hope she dies on her next mission!"

* * *

"Rather you than me," Irvine was saying. "I much prefer teaching others how to shoot."

"A surprising number of girls signed up for your sharpshooting class," Rinoa commented. She watched the couple's reactions, but Selphie merely smiled while Irvine looked as unfazed as ever.

"That's right," said Irvine. "It's great to see more chicks with guns."

Rinoa rolled her eyes. Meanwhile, Irvine had finished his hotdog and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I haven't got much time until my next class, so do you mind if Selphie and I take off?"

"No, not at all," she replied.

"See you later!" Selphie called.

* * *

"They're leaving," said Yuffie. She watched Rinoa intently, but the dark-haired girl remained at the table alone while Irvine and Selphie strolled past them together. Irvine didn't even glance in their direction; he appeared totally enthralled by whatever Selphie was saying to him. Juna glared at them.

"That's it. Selphie is going down!" Juna stood up, her fists clenched. "Are you with me, Yuffie?"

Yuffie hesitated. Her natural glee told her it would be fun to see Juna beat the crap out of Selphie… or rather the other way round, as Yuffie suspected the SeeD was much stronger than she looked; but Rinoa still hadn't moved, and Yuffie wanted to keep track of her.

"I… haven't finished my hotdog."

Their eyes met. As they looked at each other, a flicker of understanding passed between them. Yuffie didn't intend to support her new roommate.

"Fine," said Juna, and she turned her back on Yuffie and left the cafeteria without a second glance.

* * *

Rinoa watched their receding backs, then leaned her elbows on the table and sighed. If they wanted to be left alone, she shouldn't interfere. Their relationship was none of her business. She sipped a glass of water and gazed at the other students around them. She noticed a few of them sneak a sidelong glance at her before looking away. What were they thinking? _Oh, look, there's Rinoa, the Commander's girlfriend. _She was regarded as something of an anomaly in Balamb Garden: neither a student nor a SeeD. She recognised some of the faces, but didn't feel confident enough to go and sit with them. She would only make them uncomfortable anyway. So she stayed at her table, alone. The only thing she was certain of right now was that her place was by Squall.

_If it wasn't for you, Squall, I'd still be playing the princess in Timber. I wouldn't be a Sorceress. What would I be doing?_

She couldn't imagine it. Perhaps she would have returned to her father and lived in the mansion. He would marry her off to some politician… Or maybe he would know better. She never listened to him. He would realise the futility of introducing her to men he thought were suitable husband material. She thought he might approve of Squall, actually. Squall was the Garden Commander at only eighteen; it was clear he would have a powerful influence for years to come. She laughed inwardly at the thought. Yes, Caraway's analysis would be cold and clinical as usual. Squall's love and devotion wouldn't matter to him. He had been like that ever since her mother died. It was as though his heart had died along with her so that only his capable mind remained, devoid of emotion.

Why was she thinking all this now? She shook her head and pushed her empty plate away. She could go back to the library, but she didn't feel like it. She could go and find Squall, but he would be busy. She had checked on him a couple of hours ago and he told her that he was attending some kind of diplomatic meeting tonight. That meant she would be sleeping in the dormitories.

In that case, she might as well go and move her stuff. Having made her decision, Rinoa slid out of her seat straight away and walked out of the cafeteria. She didn't notice a girl get up and follow her.

* * *

Yuffie sat quietly by herself, every now and then throwing a surreptitious look towards Rinoa. She could feel her limbs trembling and forced them to keep still. _Come on, Yuffie. You're stronger than this. Don't think how this is gonna end…_ Cloud had told her what Kelling had said about Rinoa being an evil Sorceress. Neither of them really knew what to believe. Maybe she could find out from Selphie later on.

When Rinoa got up, Yuffie was instantly alert. She waited for a few seconds, and then followed the other girl out of the cafeteria. _I'm doing this for Cloud and Tifa._

* * *

"I just reported the incident to the boss."

"And what did he say, sir?"

"Oh, he was really pleased and said he'd go out and buy flowers for us."

"Really?"

"No, of course not! I had to listen to him yelling for about half an hour and then he told me he'd be cutting our salaries."

"Well, at least he didn't sack us, sir," said Wedge, trying to look on the bright side.

"I wish he had," Biggs grumbled. "He says we've been slacking off too much, and from now on at least one of us has to stay outside the prisoner's cell twenty-four seven."

"What about toilet breaks?"

"I don't know, piss on the floor!"

"Sir, I'll do the first watch," Wedge offered. He could tell his superior was in a bad mood and needed another cup of coffee. The other man was older; he needed rest more than Wedge did.

"I was going to order you to anyway," said Biggs. "I need a kip. I'll be down to relieve you in a few hours. If you need something, just yell at one of the guards. Pull rank on them if you have to. I don't want them pushing you around, got that?"

"Yes, sir."

Biggs left. After the drama two hours ago, the unnamed prisoner had been knocked unconscious and taken to a new cell. Biggs, knowing he had to report the incident to Kelling and realising that this would not be a friendly conversation, had let off some steam by shouting at the guards. While he did that, Wedge took advantage of the opportunity to get something to eat and had a pleasant conversation with the cafeteria lady. Then Biggs had called him to meet on the floor where the prisoner was now being held.

Deciding he ought to follow his new order now, Wedge walked over to the prisoner's cell and stationed himself outside it. He couldn't hear any noise from the prisoner. He wondered if she had woken up yet.

He recalled the moment when they had surrounded her. She had been so poised, even backed into a corner, and her face defiant with no hint of fear. Wedge found himself admiring her even more. Such a beautiful, confident woman. She was the kind of woman who wouldn't take any crap from the men around her. The kind of woman who could kick his butt without breaking a sweat. He liked that about her. It was stupid, he knew, to be fantasising about a woman whose name he didn't even know. But as he had to while away the hours of boredom on guard duty, he found himself imagining how she would react if he wanted to talk to her.

He imagined entering her cell and finding her dozing on the mattress. He would call out softly and she would sit bolt upright, startled at first. Her first reaction would be to attack him, he knew, but he would forestall her, holding up his hands to show that his sword was sheathed and he meant no harm. _I only want to talk_. She would be suspicious, of course, but then they would start talking and she would smile. He had never seen her smile. He tried to imagine what her smile looked like. It would light up her face, making her even more radiant.

He would ask her for her name. What would she answer? What name could suit such a woman?

He could do that now, couldn't he? Just knock on the door and ask what her name was. Her identity was supposed to be secret. He shouldn't do it.

_Do it_.

He took a deep breath and tapped on the door. No response. Maybe she was still out. But then he heard her voice, her wonderful husky voice, and he felt a pleasant tingling in his fingers and toes.

"What do you want?"

This was more difficult than he had thought. He pressed his face against the door. She was right opposite him. Only a few inches of metal separated them.

"I-I'm Wedge."

She didn't answer. He thought he could hear her breathing, but that had to be his imagination; the door was too thick for that.

"I've got a question for you," he added.

"What?"

"What's your name?"

He pictured her puzzled frown, her soft intake of breath. After a short pause, she said, "Tell me why I'm here and I'll answer you."

"I can't," he said. "I don't even know who you are. Please, can't you tell me your name?"

"Why do you want to know?" Her voice was full of suspicion.

"I… I just want to know. So I can call you by your name."

"If you want to chat, why don't you come in?" This time her voice was laced with honey, sweet and tempting.

He would like to, but he knew the scene wouldn't play out like it did in his head. "No, I'm under orders to stay out here and guard you."

"Under orders," she repeated mockingly. "You're just a grunt – following orders blindly. What kind of a life is that?"

"It pays the bills."

"What kind of people are you working for, who would do something like this?"

"You've been labelled as a dangerous criminal. So you should be locked up." Even as he said it, he didn't believe it. This girl was a pawn in some bigger scheme. Just like him. _We have more in common than you think_.

"You think because you're on the side of the law, that makes you right? I bet you're a Shinra lackey, aren't you? And that makes you one of the most corrupt soldiers on the planet."

Wedge paused, feeling puzzled. "Shinra? What's that?"

"Shinra – the corporation that used to be in charge of Midgar? If you're trying to mess with my head, it's not going to work. That's a stupid lie. Everyone's heard of Shinra."

"Midgar?" Now he was truly bewildered. He felt as though he and the beautiful prisoner were talking past each other, on a completely different wavelength. Why was she spouting nonsense? Unless she was from Esthar and Midgar was some obscure place there?

"You can't tell me you've never heard of Midgar. Where am I? Did you take me to a different country?"

"I – I'm not at liberty to say." There was something really strange about all this. She spoke as though he was the one who was crazy, as though this Midgar and Shinra were facts of everyday life that everybody knew about. It made him even more desperate to know who she was. She was an enigma.

"Oh, this is useless. You won't tell me anything. Well, let me tell you something, Wedge. I have two orphan children waiting for me back home. I don't know what happened to them, or if they're all right without me. Your people kidnapped me and now I'm stuck in this miserable hole, and I don't know where I am or why, and all you can say is, you can't explain what's going on!" Her voice broke.

Wedge shifted uncomfortably. His heart told him to help the girl, but his head told him that was a stupid idea; she would kill him as soon as look at him, and even if she didn't he would be shot for disobedience by one of Kelling's lackeys. For all he knew, the orphaned children sob story was an act. Biggs would tell him not to do it. There were so many reasons he shouldn't open that door. So many reasons. So many reasons…

* * *

Yuffie followed the Sorceress cautiously, keeping at a safe distance. Rinoa headed towards the main foyer. A few other students passed them, but Yuffie wasn't worried. It was perfectly normal for her to be strolling along. As long as no-one realised she was tailing Rinoa, she would remain inconspicuous.

Rinoa climbed some steps and pressed the button for the elevator. Yuffie hovered behind the notice board. She bit her lip. If she stepped into the elevator along with the Sorceress, she would find out where she was going. But she didn't want to make it obvious that she was following her. But if Yuffie stayed here and waited until Rinoa had gone, she wouldn't know which floor to pick. Yuffie dithered uncertainly for a few seconds.

Rinoa made the decision for her by stepping into the elevator and disappearing before Yuffie could run and join her.

Something vibrated in Yuffie's pocket. She jumped. Then she realised it was her mobile phone ringing. _Talk about bad timing_. She dug into her pocket and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Yuffie," said a calm voice, "this is Kelling."

"I can't talk now," she muttered. "You got me at a bad time here-"

"Very well. I shall phone again in five minutes. Find somewhere quiet in that time."

The line went dead. Yuffie looked around in a panic and realised she was acting suspiciously. There was nothing wrong with answering a phone call. Rinoa would have to wait. Decision made, Yuffie hurried back to her dormitory. As she expected, it was empty. She lay down on her bed and took deep breaths to calm herself. In less than a minute, the phone vibrated again.

"Yes?"

"You are in a secluded location?"

"In my dorm."

"Good. I take it you have successfully infiltrated Balamb Garden."

"Yeah."

"How are you doing? Have you found the Sorceress yet?"

"Yeah, I met her. She seems just like an ordinary girl to me – why do you want us to kill her again?"

Kelling's tone became sharp. "I've already explained this. There's no need to go into it again. Now, how much time do you think you'll need to go ahead with the mission?"

"Dunno. A couple of days, maybe. I've met her, but I don't know where she's staying. I don't know how much protection she's got either."

"Find out where she sleeps. Disable security beforehand if you can – locks and so forth. This is a covert operation – I believe it would be best if it took place at night. The front gate is locked after sundown, however. Security is tight there. If you are unable to bypass it, find another way."

"That's easy for you to say," Yuffie retorted. The man's cold, calculating tone infuriated her.

"Yes. It is. It's your job to succeed, Yuffie. You know the price if you fail."

A click and he had gone. "Bastard!" she yelled into the mouthpiece, even though she knew he couldn't hear. Then she threw the mobile phone down on the bed and clenched her fists. He expected her to work out everything. And what was worse, she knew he was right. If she didn't find a way to Rinoa before the end of the week, Tifa's life was in danger. She wouldn't put it past Kelling to order all of them to be eliminated if she failed or didn't co-operate. For the first time, she felt the true pressure of her mission. It had all been going so well before Kelling phoned and reminded her what was at stake.

He thought he had her under control. Hatred rushed through her body. She screamed in frustration and kicked the bedside table, which made her feel a little better. She couldn't remember Kelling's face – everything had been so hazy when she'd first woken up – but his voice had imprinted itself into her brain. A lazy, confident voice, smooth with the assurance of power. Well, he'd soon find out not to underestimate the great ninja Yuffie. She'd find a way to betray him if she could. After all, it would be easy just to let his name slip out…

Cloud's voice echoed in her head. _Think of Tifa. Don't do anything rash._

"What are you, my conscience?" she muttered. Maybe she should phone Cloud. Yeah, he'd want to know how she was getting on. She picked up the phone again. Two numbers were stored in the phone's memory, one of which was the phone's number. The other must be Cloud's number. She pressed the dial button.

Cloud answered quickly. "Hello?"

"Hey Cloud, it's Yuffie."

"Yuffie!" The relief in his voice was so obvious she almost laughed. "You made it!"

"Yup, I'm in."

"How… how are you?"

"This place isn't so bad. Nobody suspects me or anything. Give me a bit more time and I'll get you in."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." She sounded more confident than she really was.

"That's good. If I have to wait around here for too long, I think I'll go crazy."

She laughed. "You must be really bored, huh?"

"This place isn't exactly Gold Saucer standard when it comes to entertainment."

"Okay, I'll try and be as quick as I can so we can get this over with. I already found the target. I just need to find out where she sleeps and figure out how to get you in and we're rolling!"

"Good. Be careful, okay?"

"You know me. I'll be fine. Talk to you later."

"See you."

The phone clicked. Yuffie stuck it back in her pocket with a sigh. It was funny how talking on the phone was different from being face-to-face. It was easier to lie, for one thing. They had both tried to sound cheerful, both avoided directly mentioning the reason they were there. She imagined him pacing around the room as he talked. Or maybe he was lying on the bed, alone and apathetic. If she could have seen his face, she was sure it would have told her the real story.

His face lingered in her mind for a moment, his eyes full of concern, the way he had looked that morning. She pushed the image away. No time to be thinking and moralising. She had things to do.


	8. Tricked

**8**

** Tricked**

The quad was a large, open area, designed for recreation. More trees and plants grew here and there… were they fake? Yuffie really couldn't tell. It bugged her for some reason.

She strolled down the steps, looking around for a familiar face. Several students milled about, sitting or standing in little groups. Finding Selphie was very easy. All she had to do was follow the screaming.

Right at the far end of the quad, a stage had been set up. It looked unused, but it certainly wasn't deserted. Irvine, looking very flustered and without his cowboy hat, was attempting to placate Juna while at the same time holding back Selphie. Yuffie stopped before she had got within a ten-foot radius – that was more than enough to hear and enjoy the spectacle.

"You whore!" Juna was yelling. "I ought to stab you – I ought to pluck out your eyes and stamp on them! If I had my knives with me now-"

"You'd never get to use them," Selphie replied tartly. "I'd knock you out with one blow of my nunchaku, so nyaaah!"

"Sefie-"

Irvine's plea was drowned out as Juna let out an incoherent scream of rage and charged at Selphie. Irvine intercepted her. He let go of Selphie and tried to restrain Juna, who was beating at her instructor's chest.

Yuffie put a hand on her mouth to stop herself from giggling. A little way away, she noticed Irvine's cowboy hat. Someone had stamped on it – it looked rather flat and dirty.

"Juna – please – calm down…"

"I hate you!" Juna sobbed. She suddenly went limp and flung her arms around Irvine's chest. Irvine patted her awkwardly. He glanced back at Selphie, who grinned and nodded. Yuffie watched curiously as Selphie edged round behind Juna, blocking her view. A quick movement of her fist and Juna's noisy sobbing stopped.

"Take her to the infirmary, Irvy," Selphie ordered. She rubbed her hands in satisfaction.

Irvine lifted Juna up and carried her limp body across the quad. As he passed Yuffie, she couldn't help commenting.

"Fallen out with your girlfriend?"

"No, she just gets a little cranky at that time of the month."

Yuffie rolled her eyes and skipped over to Selphie, who had picked up the cowboy hat and was sitting down on the stage, brushing away the dirt.

"Hi, Selphie."

Selphie looked up. "Yuffie! Hi! Did you see what just happened?"

Yuffie sat down next to her and grinned. "Yeah. Nice punch."

"What punch?" asked Selphie innocently. "Juna tripped over and knocked herself out, that's all."

"Sure," said Yuffie, and winked. Selphie grinned wickedly. A few seconds of silence passed, while Yuffie wondered how she could bring up the subject of Rinoa, and Selphie stared at the floor, fiddling with her hair.

"I don't know how he picks them," Selphie sighed. "In the end, he always comes running back to me."

"He's my personal instructor."

"Really?" Selphie looked at her appraisingly. "He'll probably go after you next. You're definitely his type."

"Gawd, what is he, a pervert?"

Selphie giggled. "He doesn't know how to behave himself. But it's all an act, really. Those other girls don't understand him."

"Juna said he was her boyfriend."

"Totally wrong. She's delusional. When did she tell you that?"

"This morning. She's my roommate."

Selphie patted her arm. "What a bummer. You poor thing!"

Yuffie shrugged. "It doesn't bother me." _I'm not going to be here long enough for it to bother me._

Suddenly Selphie's eyes lit up and she waved at a woman approaching them from the shadow of the trees.

"Quistis!" Selphie slipped off the stage and stood with her arms held out wide, ready to hug the woman whose face had broken into a smile at the sight of them. She was young, Yuffie realised – younger than she seemed at first glance. Her skin was smooth and unlined; it was the way she carried herself that had fooled Yuffie. Her blonde hair was pinned back and she wore a SeeD uniform.

The two of them embraced, and then Quistis stood back with her hands on Selphie's shoulders, gazing at her with a fond smile as though the smaller girl was one of her prized students. "It's great to see you again, Selphie."

"You too!" said Selphie. "Hey, you've just been to Galbadia Garden, haven't you? You might have met my friend Yuffie; she transferred from there today!"

Quistis turned her attention to Yuffie, who gulped. Of course it wasn't possible for Quistis to have encountered her before. She hoped the SeeD wouldn't be suspicious.

"Welcome, Yuffie," said Quistis. She held out her hand and Yuffie shook it. Then she frowned. "I negotiated the transfers from Galbadia Garden over a week ago and there were only two boys on the list…"

"My transfer was a last minute thing," said Yuffie hurriedly. "Gawd, I had to pack so quickly I think I left half my stuff in Galbadia!"

Selphie laughed and Quistis smiled. The joke had smoothed over the moment of unease, and now Quistis fixed Selphie with a beady glare.

"I rushed here as fast I could – Squall has a new mission for me."

"Ooh!" said Selphie. "What is it?"

"It's a contract from Laguna. I need another SeeD to accompany me – do you want to come, Selphie?"

"Will I get to meet Sir Laguna again?"

Quistis rolled her eyes. "Probably."

"Whoo-hoo! I'm right behind you, Quisty!"

"Don't you even want to know what the mission involves?"

Selphie waved her hand. "Details, details, we can get 'em later. Show me the contract and I'll sign it!"

Quistis met Yuffie's eyes and both of them smiled. She shrugged her shoulders in resignation. "Just so you know, Yuffie, most SeeDs are much more professional."

"So," said Selphie, "when are we leaving?"

"Not yet," Quistis replied. "Squall wants us to stay tonight to look after Rinoa. We can get the full mission details and set off tomorrow."

"Look after Rinoa? She's staying in the dorms tonight?"

"Yes – Squall's attending a government function and he won't be back until tomorrow, so we're taking the knight's role tonight."

_Bingo! _If Yuffie was careful now, and asked the right questions… a little prompting here, a few innocent questions there… Her mind buzzed with possibilities. She tried to focus.

"Xu's drawing up a contract now," Quistis was saying. "Shall we go and finalise the details?"

"Okay!" Selphie popped the cowboy hat over her head and took Quistis' arm. Both of them looked back at Yuffie, who was standing there feeling rather foolish and rubbing her arm nervously.

"Yuffie, have you signed up for your classes yet?" Quistis asked.

"Oh – no, I haven't." She'd almost forgotten about that.

"Come with us if you like. We'll show you the way to Xu's office."

"Thanks!"

The three of them set off. As they passed into the main interior, Yuffie noticed Selphie's eyes ranging around the many exits and students passing by. She waved and smiled at a few of them, but Yuffie guessed she was looking out for Irvine, who still hadn't returned.

Inside the elevator, Yuffie wondered aloud which classes she ought to take, which prompted Selphie and Quistis to overwhelm her with a deluge of recommendations and general advice.

"You say you use a shuriken? Hmm, that's a rare weapon – I think Fujin is the expert when it comes to those kinds of long-range weapons – ask Xu, she'll know more about it than me."

"You've gotta take mechanics and computing; they're totally awesome. I designed my own webpage – I'll show you another time and don't forget to comment in the guestbook!"

"Politics is always advisable, especially now. I know it might not sound very interesting but it's important to-"

"GF classes are really cool, but you have to be careful, they can make you forget things. They really bump up your power – it's such a rush – so as long as you keep a diary-"

"Not everybody connects with the GF though-"

"Oh, and I really wish I'd done that military science class where they mixed up a load of explosives-"

"…And then there's history, but I suppose you already know a lot of that from Galbadia Garden. They're keen on it but their textbooks are unbelievably biased, so even if you don't take it, it might be a good idea to check out a couple of library books…"

By the time they reached the door of Xu's office on the first floor, Yuffie's mind was whirling. She composed herself enough as they entered to look around and take everything in. The office was very similar to Commander Leonhart's, with a large mahogany desk, several filing cabinets and a screen on one wall. It looked much more personal and lived-in, however; a large and beautiful colour photograph of a fishing town by the sea hung on another wall, and next to that were many smaller photographs of various smiling faces, pinned up in three columns. A pot plant stood in one corner.

Xu herself was sitting behind her desk typing at her computer, half-hidden behind a pile of paperwork. She looked up, smoothed back her hair and smiled.

"How may I help you?"

Yuffie hung back, fidgeting while Quistis and Selphie discussed the contract with Xu. She walked over to the picture of the seaside town and stared at it, absorbed by the beautiful colours. The picture was predominantly blue, with the sea and sky framing it, and the shining sun reflected in the waves lit up the white beach and the buildings of the town. She thought it must have been taken from out at sea to get an angle like that.

"That's Balamb," said Xu, startling her. The SeeD was standing next to her, her hands clasped behind her back. "Have you ever been there?"

"No."

"You'll get a chance to visit when Garden returns to Balamb. I recommend you do. It's a very pretty town." Xu returned behind her desk and sat down. She looked at the computer and pressed a few keys. "So, Yuffie, have you decided what classes to take yet?"

Yuffie walked over to stand in front of the desk, her hand unconsciously straying towards the mobile phone in her pocket. Her mind was racing. She looked over at Quistis and Selphie who were waiting for her by the door. Quistis clutched an official-looking document in her hand. Selphie grinned and gave her a thumbs-up.

"Er…" said Yuffie. She felt her face redden. "What's the least number of classes I can take?"

Xu looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Three is the minimum," she replied, a definite hint of coolness in her voice.

"Okay – do you have a list I can look at, just to, um, remind myself?"

Xu pushed a piece of laminated paper towards Yuffie in silence. She picked it up. The list of subjects was split into three groups: theoretical, practical and optional. She ignored the optional group and scanned the rest. _Okay, it doesn't really matter what I do, I'm not going to be here for long anyway…_

"I'll take GF classes, long-range weaponry and… political history." The last one might help her to learn what had been going on in this world, she thought.

Xu frowned, her attention on the computer. She pressed a few more keys. Then Yuffie heard a whirring noise, which startled her at first, but it was only the printer next to the desk. Xu waited for the printer to finish and then handed her the piece of paper.

"This is your timetable," she said. "Copy it onto the one in your room. I've scheduled an initial meeting with your tutor tomorrow morning at nine thirty. Don't miss it."

"Thanks," said Yuffie. But Xu didn't smile at her. She supposed the SeeD wasn't too impressed by her lack of enthusiasm. _Well, screw her._ Yuffie turned to leave.

"Oh – and Yuffie?" said Xu.

She glanced back. "What?"

"I suggest you start wearing your uniform from now on."

_Stuck-up bitch_, Yuffie thought. She didn't answer, just walked out of the office with Selphie and Quistis. Now if only she could figure out a way to persuade one of them to show her Rinoa's room…

* * *

Rinoa lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She'd taken her time, folding her clothes neatly and arranging her make-up on the dresser, but even so it didn't take long to prepare the room – she was only staying for one night, after all.

She heard a soft whining and opened her eyes.

"Angelo..."

The dog sat by the side of her bed, looking up at her with pleading eyes. He was too well-trained to actually jump up at her, so Rinoa swung her legs over the side of the bed and bent down to stroke her pet's head. He licked her hand and she smiled and crouched down.

"At least you're always here for me," Rinoa murmured as she wrapped her arms around the dog's neck. His fur was soft and silky.

Angelo whined again.

"You want to go for a walk? Is that it? All right then. I guess I could do with stretching my legs." She stood up, walked over to the door and opened it. "Come on!"

Tail wagging, the dog ran out of the room. Rinoa smiled and followed a little more sedately, knowing Angelo would run back to her if she called. In the corridor, she almost bumped into Selphie.

"Sorry! Hi, Selphie."

"Hey! Do you need some help unpacking?"

"No, that's okay, I'm finished."

Rinoa turned her head, looking for Angelo, and was startled to see the new girl, Yuffie, leaning against the wall and grinning at them.

"Thanks for showing me the way back to the dormitories, Selphie," Yuffie said. "So that's your room there? And Rinoa's right next to you. Cool."

Rinoa smiled and looked at Selphie uncertainly.

"You can call on me tomorrow morning if you want," said Selphie. "Before I go, I mean."

Yuffie nodded. "Sure. I think I'll go back to my room now… put on the uniform." She grimaced. "See you!"

Selphie waved at her and Yuffie walked off. Then she turned to Rinoa, who was still standing in the doorway of her room.

"Quistis just got back today!"

"Really? I haven't seen her."

"She's gone to get Irvine and then we're all gonna hang out in the quad. Wanna come?"

Rinoa brightened up. She didn't need to take a lonely walk with her dog around Garden after all.

"Sure!"

Selphie looked around, her brown hair bobbing up and down. "Was that Angelo I saw racing past?"

"Yeah." Rinoa whistled and the dog appeared at the end of the corridor. He ran back up to her, barking happily. She locked her door and linked arms with Selphie. "Let's go."

* * *

It was late afternoon and the sun was low and pale in the sky. Yuffie tugged at her skirt. In the mirror, a rather disgruntled-looking girl stared back at her. She was fine with the top half of the uniform, but the skirt annoyed her. It was slightly too big and she hitched it up for the fourth time. Yuffie had always been a shorts girl. She had never understood how Tifa had managed to fight in a mini-skirt of all things.

She opened a drawer and found a belt. That was a bit better, even if it wasn't strictly part of the proper uniform. Nor were Yuffie's boots. She still wore her own long boots because the right one had a little strap attached to the inside of it and that was where she kept her knife.

Maybe she should have attacked Rinoa when they had met in the corridor earlier. _No. Stupid Yuffie._ Selphie would have had a fit. She couldn't see that ending happily. _Oh yeah, sorry about that Selphie, I had to kill your friend so I can get back home. Will you let me out now?_

But she had promised to get Cloud in so he could do the dirty work and she wasn't going to let him down. _A17. A17._ She kept saying Rinoa's room number in her head, determined not to forget it. But how to get Cloud to Rinoa?

There must be a way but she certainly wasn't going to find out by hanging around in her room and staring at herself in the mirror. So Yuffie strapped her shuriken on her back and left the dormitories once again. She was determined to bust Cloud in tonight; she knew where Rinoa was sleeping and best of all, Commander Leonhart would be absent. It was the perfect opportunity and she couldn't let it slip away by failing to find a way into Balamb Garden.

As she walked around the main foyer, deep in thought, her stomach rumbled. Never one to ignore her own needs, Yuffie headed straight for the cafeteria, figuring that she would think better on a full stomach. The cafeteria was crowded with students queuing up for the evening meal. She didn't want to hang around for too long so when she got to the front of the queue, she ordered a baguette and a glass of water. Then she looked around for somewhere to sit. Over in the right hand corner, she spotted Theo and Dacha. She dragged her feet a little but went over to join them anyway.

"Mind if I sit here?"

"Oh, hi Yuffie! Yeah, sit down." Dacha moved over to make a place for her. The two boys had almost finished their meals.

Theo leaned back in his seat and flicked his hair out of his eyes. "How's things?"

"Okay." He asked her if she had chosen her classes and they started discussing the merits of their particular subjects.

"So who's your instructor?" Dacha asked.

"Irvine Kinneas."

The boy pulled a face. "Oh, him. He's just a rookie, you know."

She shrugged. She had only met Irvine in passing so far, but from all she had heard about him, she was glad that she wasn't going to be his student for long. Not at all, if they could get this over with tonight.

Theo had finished his meal. He drained his cup and wiped his mouth. "I'm supposed to meet my instructor tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, me too."

Dacha whistled. "That's quick."

"Say, Yuffie, I've got an idea." Theo smiled at her. "How about we take a little trip around the training centre – you know, to get some practice before we start classes?"

Dacha coughed and covered his mouth. Yuffie stared at him – it looked like the boy was trying to suppress a laugh. Theo's eyes were gleaming too.

"Is this some kind of joke?" she asked suspiciously.

"No, no," said Theo. "As long as you're prepared – there are monsters in the training centre. We didn't have anything like that in Galbadia Garden so it'll be cool to try out our skills, right?"

"I guess…"

"All right, come on!" Theo stood up and winked at her. She stuffed the last of the baguette into her mouth and walked with him out of the cafeteria. Yuffie didn't really know why she was doing this, except that she couldn't think of anything else to do, and familiarising herself more with the Garden surroundings couldn't hurt, right?

* * *

"Have you moved your stuff?"

"It's all done."

"Good." Squall kissed her on the cheek. Rinoa hugged him.

"You should have joined us in the quad," she said. "It was no fun without you."

He shrugged. He was too busy for that.

She sighed and pressed herself closer against him. "Have a great time," she whispered in his ear.

"Yeah, right."

She stood back and looked at him. Squall was wearing his SeeD uniform, but this one was specially tailored and adorned with extra trinkets. He straightened his cuffs, frowning.

"Well, at least you look really good," Rinoa said.

"Whatever."

"Smile, won't you?"

He scowled. Rinoa took his seat behind the desk and swivelled around. Then she rested her legs on the wooden surface, just like Seifer had done the day before.

"Relax," she said. "I'll be fine. It's only one night."

She always knew exactly what was bothering him. But he didn't find her words reassuring. He realised that his muscles were tense and tried to relax, like she said. But his hand strayed to his belt, where he had sheathed his gunblade. He had junctioned a GF too, because he didn't trust politicians and in his experience it was always best to be prepared.

There was a soft knock at the door and then Xu came in. "The car's waiting outside," she said.

Squall nodded. There was nothing else he could do now; he just had to grit his teeth and get through the party. Rinoa bounced up and took his hand. The couple followed Xu to the parking lot. A driver was waiting for him, standing next to a shiny black car. The engine thrummed softly.

Rinoa stood up on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips. "See you."

"See you." He glanced at Xu, who was waiting for them with her hands behind her back. "Take Rinoa back to the dormitories and make sure she stays with Quistis or Selphie."

Xu nodded.

"I can look after myself, you know," Rinoa muttered, but she smiled anyway and took Xu's arm. As the two women started to walk off, Rinoa turned her head and called, "Love you!"

He waited until she had vanished into the murky corridor which led back into Garden. Then he turned to the unsmiling chauffeur. The man wore a black suit and dark glasses.

"You're here to take me to the Presidential Palace," said Squall.

The man nodded.

"What's the password?"

The man spoke in a gruff, deep voice. "There are no jesters, only fools."

Squall nodded. The chauffeur opened the car door for him and he got in. The seats were made of leather, shiny and supple, but also slippery. He pulled on his seatbelt and stared out of the blackened window as the car moved away from Garden.


	9. One Way In, No Way Out

**9**

** One Way In, No Way Out**

"What time is it?" Yuffie asked.

Theo looked at his watch. "Nearly seven."

The sun would have set outside, then, although she couldn't see it from the interior of Balamb Garden. But the artificial lights were on now; spotlights gleamed on the floor and more peeped out from the foliage around them. The place seemed surreal; she was in a strange world, and she was wearing clothes that had been made from the fabric of another world, and she had eaten food from another world and now she was walking with a boy from another world. The overwhelming peculiarity of it all struck her intensely. She shivered.

"Are you scared?" Theo touched her arm lightly. "It's okay, there's no-"

"I'm not, I'm okay," she snapped. Her tone was more irritable than she had intended. What did he know about her feelings? She had faced down Sephiroth. You couldn't get any scarier than that. "Sorry, it's just been a long day, you know, trying to find my way around an' all… How long can we stay in the training centre anyway? When does it shut?"

"It doesn't. The training centre's the only place apart from the dormitories open twenty-four seven."

"What, so everywhere else is shut? You can't even do any late night work in the library?"

"Nope. It's all locked."

Yuffie frowned. She knew the main gate was highly secure and now it was clear that access was even more restricted at night. She had thought of investigating the parking lot, but no doubt that would be locked too. Her options were running out.

They arrived on the green strip which marked the entrance to the training centre. Theo stopped just before the double doors. He drew his sword and held it up, so it gleamed against the light. Yuffie readied her shuriken in her right hand.

"Are we going in or what?" she asked.

Theo nodded. The doors hissed open for them automatically and they found themselves in a dingy corridor. Yuffie felt her heart rate increase and her breath quickened in anticipation. Theo grinned as they arrived at the second set of double doors and entered the training centre.

Yuffie looked around in surprise. "An indoor jungle…" She could smell the hard, packed earth and the vegetation. It was so different from the sterile environment elsewhere in Garden, or the fatty, acrid smell of the cafeteria. She almost felt like she was in the open air again.

Theo twirled his sword. "C'mon, let's go fight some monsters." He started jogging away to another set of doors. Yuffie followed him. They whooshed open and she emerged into another section of the jungle. The grassy ground was bare, but trees hung over the wire fence that marked the path. She heard a noise behind her and whipped around.

Yuffie had encountered many, many varieties of monsters back in her own world, but she had never seen anything like these. They were some kind of weird plant things, scurrying back and forth, with long tendrils like creepers and bloated, gasbag bodies.

"Grats," said Theo. "You take the one on the left!"

* * *

The road outside the city was quiet and it took only a few minutes for them to clear the plains and enter the city. The traffic immediately became worse. Caraway City always seemed to be most densely populated at night, and Squall knew the bars and shops were popular with the Garden students too. The vendors always profited from increased trade whenever Balamb Garden stopped outside the city.

The driver didn't speak at all, which suited Squall just fine. He ran through a mental checklist, wondering if there were any safeguards he had forgotten. He was armed and he had plenty of magic to draw upon if he chose. For a second, his mind flickered to the place occupied by Quezacotl, and he sensed the creature's power, increasing his strength and fuelling his body with energy. And the spells: many, many spells crackling inside him, ready to be used. It was a power he hadn't used in a while and he had almost forgotten the familiar buzz.

He should have told Rinoa to junction a GF. Yes, that was what he had forgotten, and it hit him now like a physical blow. She had natural magic, he knew, but still she had hardly used her fledgling Sorceress powers. Of course she would just laugh at him for being paranoid… He shook his head. He _was _being paranoid. The only monsters lurking in Balamb Garden were those in the training centre and Rinoa had no need to go there.

* * *

Yuffie flicked her hand as the grat scuttled towards her. The shuriken hit the monster and ripped right through its body before turning around in an arc and flying back to her. She caught it, but there was no need to throw it again; the grat had crumpled to the ground, dead. Meanwhile, Theo had hacked and slashed at the other grat and killed it without sustaining an injury.

Yuffie put her hands on her hips. "That was easy."

"Yeah." Theo wiped his blade clean on the grass. "Not much of a challenge, eh? But there's something I wanted to show you, just a little further ahead…"

She followed him across a flat wooden bridge, intrigued. Twice more, grats appeared from the undergrowth to attack them, but Yuffie and Theo dispatched them with ease.

"Ah ha," said Theo. He yanked her arm and pulled her towards a little path on the right. There was a door there, nestled amongst the creepers, light escaping from the cracks around it.

"What is this place?"

"It's the secret area. Dacha told me about it."

They went inside and found themselves in an enclosed little clearing. Yuffie noticed a young couple sitting in one corner, their arms entwined around each other, and frowned. She moved forward to the wall and found herself on a kind of balcony, which overlooked the outside world. It was dark; the first stars were peeping out. Theo leaned against the wall next to her.

"Nice view, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Yuffie fidgeted with her skirt again, looking away from him. Instead, she leaned over the balcony. Below, the jutting frame of Garden stretched, barring the way to any would-be intruders. But as she looked some more, her eyes traced a path – over there the grassy ground, and the strange circular ring that orbited the main structure, and the pale girders gleaming in the darkness – a handhold here, a beam there… Her heart lifted in excitement. Such a route would be impossible for any normal person – the leaps were too great, the distance too far – but not for Cloud. He was strong and agile. He could make it.

Theo's voice suddenly whispered in her ear – she had almost forgotten his presence. "I think I might like it here," he murmured. She felt his breath against her face and jerked her head away sharply; he was too close. Then she heard the couple behind her let out soft gasps of consternation and turned around.

Three teenagers strode into the middle of the secret area. At the front was a pale young man with blond hair, wearing a white trench coat, and flanking him a dark-skinned man and a grey-haired woman who was wearing an eye-patch.

The blond man's lips curled upwards as his eyes ranged over the other students. One of his arms was in a sling. He nodded to the woman beside him. She pointed at the couple still huddled on the floor.

"GO."

"That's right, ya know," said the second man. "And you too, ya know," he added, looking at Yuffie and Theo.

The young couple got up without a word and hurried past the trio. Yuffie frowned, but before she could say anything, Theo stepped forward, a look of righteous indignation on his face.

"You! Who do you think you are, ordering us around?"

The blond man's smirk widened. "We're the Disciplinary Committee. And you're clearly one of the new losers. You should have read up on the regulations. This is a restricted area and I'm kicking you out."

"You can't do that!" said Theo. He was puffing up in anger now, his hand edging towards his sword. The blond-haired man took a step forward; he was taller than Theo and looked much more threatening, despite the fact that one of his arms hung limp and useless in the sling. Yuffie sidestepped and leaned against the wall to watch their macho posturing. She sighed.

"Do you know who I am?" the blond man asked.

"Yeah, I recognise you. I can't believe they let you wander around here! You should be locked up."

"INSOLENCE," said the woman.

The young man swept his good arm towards his comrades. "Escort him from the premises."

"What about her?" the other man asked.

"Leave her; I'll deal with it." As he stepped aside, his comrades came forward and grabbed the protesting Theo by an arm each. Unable to reach his sword, he instead unleashed a stream of curses as the pair of them dragged him away.

The blond man regarded Yuffie curiously. She noticed a scar running across his forehead – just like Squall's. Strange. She folded her arms and didn't say anything. She was wondering whether she could piss him off by picking his pockets, but then again he had got rid of Theo for her. Maybe she ought to be grateful.

"I haven't seen you before," he said. "You new as well?"

"Yep. The name's Yuffie; I transferred from Galbadia Garden."

"So you probably know me already."

"Uh… no, I don't."

"You don't know who I am?" He looked genuinely surprised.

"No. What, are you supposed to be famous or something?"

He shook his head and muttered, "Infamous, more like. I'm Seifer."

"Oh!"

"So you recognise my name at least."

"Yeah." Selphie had told her about him. "What happened to your arm?"

"Just a training injury." He smirked. "You should have seen the other guy."

"Oh – so are you a SeeD now?" He wasn't wearing the student uniform and she had only seen other SeeDs dressed in their normal clothes thus far. Although judging by his behaviour, Seifer thought he was a law unto himself.

"Not yet. I guess we'll all be taking the exam together. Happy days."

"Right…"

"Better get used to me being in charge. Run along now."

God, he was obnoxious. She narrowed her eyes. "I was planning to leave anyway. See, I don't like hanging around with jerks." And she walked off.

The grey-haired woman was waiting outside. She stared at Yuffie with her one eye. Yuffie ignored her, feeling uncomfortable under that hard gaze. She heard Seifer emerge from the secret area behind her but forced herself not to turn around, to keep walking.

"Add Yuffie to the list," Seifer said.

_List? _But Yuffie didn't care, didn't care at all; she sped up as she ran through the jungle and killed two more grats with glee. She had found a way in and now she didn't have to waste any more time or go to any lessons or spend another sleepless night – she had found a way! She had to tell Cloud at once.

* * *

The car turned and Squall recognised the gates of the Presidential Palace. The chauffeur rolled down his window and entered a code into a keypad on the wall, and then the golden gates creaked open. He pulled forward across the gravel and parked right outside the entrance to the Palace. Two red-uniformed guards stood on either side of the gilt doors, which were thrown open. A red carpet led up the steps and into the entrance hall of the Palace. Squall stared at it in silence. A couple of guests had just arrived and gone in.

He waited for the chauffeur to open his door and beckon him out. Then he straightened up and followed the man to the entrance. Warm light from a chandelier streamed out.

"This is Commander Squall Leonhart," said the driver. "He got a personal invitation from Caraway himself."

One of the guards consulted his list and then peered at Squall. "All right, here you go, sir." He handed Squall a pass, which Squall pinned to his jacket.

"Didn't bring the missus, then?" the other guard commented.

Squall ignored him and went straight through. He glanced back and saw that the chauffeur had returned to his car, his job done. The two guards were talking to each other.

He walked through the entrance hall and to the left he saw the main hall where the party was taking place. He passed through the ornate double doors and as soon as he stepped on to the marble floor, he was accosted by a waiter offering him wine. Squall took a glass, since it gave him something to do, and looked around. He naturally preferred to skulk in a corner or find his friends as quickly as he could and stay with them, but his friends weren't here and he couldn't hide away because he had some mingling to do. God, how he hated mingling.

But there was Caraway, standing with a couple of other men, and his soon-to-be father-in-law waved him over. Squall buried a grimace and pushed his way past a group of ladies in ball gowns to reach them.

Caraway held out his hand and Squall shook it. The man twisted his mouth into what might pass for a smile, but his eyes remained cold.

"Good evening," he said. "I'm delighted you could make it."

"Likewise."

"Allow me to make the introductions," said Caraway. "My friends, meet Squall Leonhart, Commander of Garden." The men nodded and Caraway introduced them one by one. "This is Colonel Ryule, Head of Security."

Squall shook hands with a large, bald man, dressed in a grey suit which made him look like a giant granite statue.

"Doctor Norwell, Head of Administration."

Norwell was dwarfed by his other companions; he was a pale, elderly man who rubbed his spidery hands together before shaking Squall's.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said.

"And Major-General Kelling, Head of Science and Technology."

"It's an honour," said Kelling as he shook hands with Squall. He was the youngest of the men; he looked to be in his early forties, with dark eyes and darker, oily hair.

"Gentlemen," said Caraway, "would you mind if Squall and I excused ourselves? We have some important business to discuss."

"Not at all," said Norwell. Ryule merely nodded.

"I would like to accompany you, if I may," said Kelling. "If you remember, it was I who suggested the new post, General…"

"Very well," said Caraway shortly. "This way."

"Is this about Galbadia Garden?" Squall asked, as Caraway hurried them through the crowds.

"Yes."

He stopped and folded his arms. "Then don't you think Arin ought to hear this as well? He is in charge of Galbadia Garden right now."

Galbadia Garden had been without a Headmaster for some time. Arin, a SeeD originally from Galbadia Garden, was doing his best to keep the place running, but his leadership was only temporary.

Caraway scowled. "Yes, you're right. Kelling, fetch Arin for us. We'll be in the drawing room."

Kelling nodded. Squall and Caraway made their way to the drawing room themselves. The drawing room was just off the main hall, a much cosier and comfortable place. A crackling fire burned in the hearth, casting flickering light over the portraits of past presidents on the walls and the armchairs and sofas scattered around. A few people were already in there, sitting around a table in the corner and sipping dark red wine. Caraway sat in an armchair by the fire and gestured for Squall to come and sit down too.

"Arin is a young man," he said in a low voice.

Squall looked at him coldly. "So am I."

"I know." Caraway clicked his fingers and a waiter came over to pour him some wine. "But you have been leading SeeD for over a year. Arin is inexperienced."

A voice interrupted them. "General Caraway, Commander Leonhart, I'd like you to meet Arin Tarmew."

Squall twisted his head. Kelling was standing with his arm around a young man. He had the air of a father introducing a prodigious son. Arin, he saw, looked deeply uncomfortable and he stuttered slightly as he shook Caraway's hand.

"P-pleased to meet you, General."

"Shall we sit down?" Kelling took an armchair opposite Caraway. He crossed his legs, looking perfectly at home. The fire blazed between them, casting both of the older men's faces in shadow. Arin sat down on the sofa next to Squall, who nodded at him and tried a reassuring smile. He needed to encourage Arin to speak up, because he suspected the young man would be the only one on his side in this debate.

"Let's get straight down to business," said Caraway. "As I was saying, although I'm sure young Arin here has performed his function remarkably given the circumstances, we still have some concerns over the future of Galbadia Garden."

_Here we go_, thought Squall. _Trying to foist his politics on to our Garden._ Squall felt sure that Caraway would try to get one of his cronies to take the position. He couldn't allow that. He wasn't looking forward to the bickering that was sure to follow, but he gritted his teeth and opened his mouth anyway. He had to protect Garden's independence.

* * *

Cloud lay on the couch as the room darkened around him. He stared through the window at the night sky, which was filled with stars. In Midgar, you couldn't see the stars. Here, it was a little hazy because of the light given off by the city, but still, there they were, gleaming sharp and cold and far away. The constellations were the same. How could that be?

The mobile phone on the coffee table lit up and started buzzing. It jolted Cloud out of his apathy. He jumped up and grabbed it straight away.

"Hello?"

"Hi Cloud! It's Yuffie again." Her voice was tight and suppressed with excitement.

"What is it?"

"I've done it! I've found a way in!" He could practically sense her bouncing up and down on the other end of the line.

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! What, don't you trust me, Cloud?"

"I do, but… Yuffie, there are six other nights we can do this. It wouldn't hurt to be a bit more prepared-"

"No, listen, we gotta get in there now. Squall's away tonight so you won't have to deal with him. It's our best chance!"

He hesitated. But Yuffie sounded so certain and he didn't want to insult her by suggesting that she hadn't explored all the options, even though he thought that she couldn't have done in such a short space of time. Tifa's face came into his mind. The less time she spent in that prison, the better. They should get this over with.

"All right, Yuffie. I'm with you. Tell me your plan."

* * *

"At least hear me out," said Kelling. His voice wasn't as friendly as it had been before; he was clearly growing impatient with Squall's obstinacy. Caraway had already been unsuccessful in trying to get him to listen, and now his smooth-tongued advisor had taken over. "You cannot deny that Galbadia Garden has strong ties with Galbadia. Most of the students who graduate from there are drafted into the Galbadian army. It is in our best interest to look after the interests of Galbadia Garden, do you see?" He smiled and spread out his arms as though trying to say that there was no reason for them to be arguing at all; they were all on the same side. He looked mainly at Arin as he spoke. Squall frowned.

"I want what's best for Galbadia Garden too," said Arin. "I do think we need a new Headmaster."

"Exactly," said Caraway. "And I have a suitable candidate for the job."

"Who?" Squall asked.

Kelling smiled. "Me."

Squall shook his head. "No. I won't have a member of the Galbadian government taking any position of authority within Garden. SeeD has to remain neutral."

Kelling's mouth twitched for a second but he quickly plastered his smile back on. "But don't you think it would be a good idea to have someone who can mediate between Galbadia and Garden at the very least? Someone with good connections, someone experienced, who can offer the wisdom of age…"

"If you're talking about yourself, then I don't think we have any need of such a position," said Squall harshly. "We already have SeeDs who are excellent at liaising."

"We only wish to make the connections between Garden and Galbadia stronger. Perhaps we can come to a compromise?" Kelling suggested.

Arin opened his mouth but Squall looked at him and he shut it quickly.

"No," Squall said. "This matter isn't negotiable and that's all I have to say about it."

Kelling's hand suddenly flew to his breast pocket. He took out a tiny phone, which was vibrating. "I'm sorry, gentlemen, could you excuse me for a moment? I need to take this call."

"Go ahead," said Caraway.

* * *

Yuffie sat cross-legged on her bed and cancelled the call. She had given Cloud the information he needed. He was going to meet her at midnight. So now all she had to do was wait for a few hours.

She yawned and stretched, trying to relax and not think about her plan too much lest she poke holes in it. If anything went wrong, they'd deal with it.

The phone vibrated and Yuffie jumped. Barely two minutes had passed since she had talked with Cloud. Was he ringing her again? She answered the call.

"What?"

"Hello, Yuffie," said a smooth voice.

She gasped. "Kelling?"

"Yes. So you're carrying out the mission tonight. Very good."

_Whoa, freaky_, she thought. "H-how do you know?"

"Your phone is tapped."

_Oh, that explains it_. "So you were eavesdropping?"

"We've been monitoring your communications, yes. Remember, once you have completed the mission, you must return to the secret house as soon as you can with proof that you have indeed killed the Sorceress."

"Proof? What kind of proof?"

"Her head will do."

"Ew, gross!" Her reaction slipped out instinctively before she could stop herself. Yuffie bit her lip. _What kind of backwards world is this, anyway?_ The warriors of Wutai used to cut off the heads of their enemies and display them as a sign of their strength… but that was all a long time ago. Yuffie had killed other human beings before, but only when they attacked her first, and she certainly didn't have any desire to chop their head off and lug it around with her. _Oh, but wait… Cloud will have to do that. Great._

She heard a disapproving click on the other end of the line. "Just do your job," Kelling said, ending the call.

* * *

Kelling returned after a few minutes. He enquired if any progress had been made and Squall informed him testily that his position had not changed.

"Very well," said Kelling, a slight frown creasing his brow. "Just remember, if you're ever in need of a Headmaster, I'm always available."

"Well, if that's all, then I hope you don't mind me leaving early," said Squall. He was already bored of this party. If he could get out of staying overnight, he certainly would.

"No!" said Kelling. He straightened his tie as the others stared at him. "I mean, we have a lot more to discuss, don't we, General?"

Caraway nodded. "My Head of Security wants to speak to you, Squall."

Squall sighed. It didn't look as though he was going to get away that easily.


	10. To Kill a Sorceress

**10**

** To Kill a Sorceress**

He entered the code on the pad next to the door to unlock the cell. The gleaming bar of light above it turned blue for an instant and he knew he had succeeded. The door opened with a faint hiss and he walked inside.

Black. Glowing lines. She matched, dressed in black, with her dark hair flowing down her back. Only her face was pale and gleaming as she looked up from her position sitting on the bed.

"You came."

"I did." He took off his helmet, revealing a mop of light brown hair and the freckles which were scattered across the bridge of his nose.

Outside, the moonlight gleamed. It shone on the girl, bright and luminous. She looked like a spirit, a being from another world. The contours of her face blurred and shimmered. He took her hand.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"My name… my name is…"

She kicked him. Suddenly, she wasn't so soft any more, but hard and cold instead, like moon rock.

"Wedge! Wedge!" Another kick. She yelled his name and her voice changed and–

Wedge's eyes flickered open.

"S-sir?"

Biggs' face stared at him, an inch from his own. The soldier's expression twisted into a scowl.

"Get up!"

"Sir, I'm really sorry, sir!" Wedge leapt to his feet as Biggs stood back and folded his arms, one of his hands tapping his machine gun pointedly against his thigh. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me-"

"Save it. I'm not going to tell that bastard Kelling about this 'cause if I do, we'll both be in the shit – but you'd better not sleep on the job again!"

Wedge continued to apologise profusely. He didn't know how it had happened. Somehow, somewhere along the line, his daydreams had turned into real dreams. He had pondered and pondered and thought and thought and imagined until he couldn't remember which parts were real and which weren't.

Eventually, Biggs seemed to grow tired of the endless "sorry"s pouring out of Wedge's mouth.

"All right, shut up," he said. "I've come to relieve you. Go and sleep in a proper bed."

"Thank you, sir! When shall I come back, sir?"

"You can do the morning shift. Six a.m., on the dot. Don't be late!"

"I won't, sir."

But as Wedge made the promise, as he walked away from the beautiful prisoner whose name he still did not know, he wondered if he would ever be able to pluck up the courage to help her.

* * *

The plain was dark and cold. Cloud walked fast, scanning the horizon for danger. Balamb Garden loomed in front of him, and grew steadily larger and larger as the distance between them closed. He had left the twinkling lights of the city behind him and now his boots squelched through the grass. He avoided the nearby road, not wishing to be seen.

He was on his way to assassinate someone.

And wasn't this just like the life of a mercenary? Indeed, he had chosen that path himself once upon a time. Blowing up innocent people for money. And back then, if he had been offered the gil, he would have killed a defenceless girl too. Wouldn't he?

He didn't know. He had been mixed up back then. With Sephiroth's influence, Zack's stolen memories and above all his own weakness, it amazed him that he had ever managed to make the right decision at all. Fighting for the Planet had given him a purpose: a clear, moral path. Yet he had been so confused that at first it had seemed easier, better, to pretend that he was only fighting for the money. What did a mercenary need of morals? There was only the pay packet and looking for the next job.

This was different because he wasn't being paid, at least not with gil. Everything seemed grey, blurry – just like the featureless plain before him. He thought that he had no choice in the matter – either he did as Kelling said or Tifa died. But that was a choice, wasn't it? He was growing confused, doubtful. His steps across the plain slowed. Tifa would say he was making the right choice, wouldn't she?

He didn't know that either. But he was beginning to realise now. He would do this to save the one he loved. Two years ago, he had been unable to save the life of another… Cloud shuddered, not wanting to dwell upon the past too much. That way led only to madness.

Something in the air screeched and he looked up to see a dark shape swooping towards him. He jumped back and the thing's claws missed. It wheeled back into the air and two more of the monsters came spiralling down. Cloud drew his sword. He had never seen monsters like these, with their harsh cries and bony wings, but he knew how to deal with them. He waited until they swooped towards him again and struck them down one by one.

The battle cleared his head. Yes, fighting and killing was easy. He knew how to do that.

He left their carcasses to rot on the ground and continued towards Balamb Garden.

* * *

Squall was exhausted. He had shaken hands with more people than he could remember, been forced into dancing with two young ladies, argued with Colonel Ryule about whether SeeDs should be allowed to work against Galbadia if their employers wished them to, and every single time he tried to slip away quietly, Kelling had appeared to introduce him to someone new or offer him wine or discuss recent Galbadian policies. The older man was all smiles and charm; he seemed to think that Squall would appreciate being taken under his wing. Squall didn't appreciate it. At all.

Time wore on and Squall finally managed to shake off Kelling when he pretended to go to an antechamber to get something for them to drink. He didn't care how luxurious the accommodation that Caraway had promised him was. Nor did he care if his departure would appear discourteous. He thought only of returning to Balamb Garden.

He spotted Arin in the entrance hall, enjoying the bit of fresh air which breezed in from the open doors. The rest of the Palace was stiflingly hot. Squall hurried up to him.

"Oh, hi, Squall," said Arin. He took a sip from his glass of wine, appearing much more at ease than he had before. "Feeling all right? I have to say, I really admired the way you stood up to-"

Squall interrupted him. "Arin, I'm leaving now. Tell Caraway that I've given you permission to take my accommodation for the night."

Arin's face broke into a smile. "Thanks!"

"Make up any excuse you like."

Arin winked. "Will do." He had done this before, for Squall. Although Arin disliked the political aspect of these gatherings, he enjoyed the social side of it, so Squall found him valuable for reporting gossip.

"Good night." Squall nodded at the young man and walked out of the entrance hall before anyone else could stop him. A cold breeze swept over his face. The two guards outside stared at him. "Get me a car," he said. "I'm leaving."

* * *

Cloud skirted around Balamb Garden, just far away enough to be out of sight of the front gate. As he headed for the back, he peered up at the main building, hoping to get a glimpse of Yuffie who had promised to wait for him on the balcony. The closer he got, the more the structure baffled him. What was the purpose of the outer ring?

His phone vibrated. Cloud put the receiver to his ear.

"Yuffie?"

"Yeah – I can see you!"

He strained his eyes, but he still hadn't spotted her. "I can't find you – can you give me directions?"

"Sure. Keep walking forward – go to the left – no, I mean right, sorry – yeah, see that big, hangar thing? I dunno what it is, but can you climb up there?"

"One minute," he grunted. He slipped the mobile phone back in his pocket. Then came the climbing and jumping, stopping at intervals to receive more instructions from Yuffie and expecting all the while for some kind of sensors to go off and raise the alarm. Eventually, he looked up and saw Yuffie leaning down from the tiny balcony. No wonder he hadn't seen it. It was in the shadow of an overhanging arch, and almost completely hidden from view, at least from his angle. He was holding on to a supporting girder, his feet scrabbling for purchase on the smooth exterior of the building. There was no other way to get to her. He had to jump.

He felt the weight of the sword sheathed on his back and grimaced. But he made the leap and Yuffie caught one of his arms as they slipped on the balcony wall. She pulled him up and he stumbled into the secret area, panting. For a few seconds, they looked at each other in silence.

"Couldn't you have found an easier way?" asked Cloud at last.

"Quit complaining! I got you here, didn't I?"

"Yeah."

"I'm glad you're here," she said, and flung her arms around his neck. Cloud was taken by surprise. He patted her head awkwardly. Yuffie stepped back and grinned at his puzzled face. "I just felt like doing that." She shrugged.

Cloud felt his face turning red.

"Aw, don't get all embarrassed. It's just… I, you know – it's nice to see a friend. Someone from my world and not a load of people I'm plotting against."

"You plotted against us once," Cloud reminded her. They had all forgiven Yuffie for her deceitful ways. She was a little more grown-up now, a little less conniving. But he wouldn't forget in a hurry.

"I know, I know." Yuffie twisted a strand of her hair between her fingers. "So it's a good thing you've got me to help you, eh? I've got experience!"

"Let's get on with it," said Cloud. He was aware that they were wasting time. And he couldn't afford to do that; he didn't want to lose his determination.

"Yeah, you're right. Follow me!"

They left the secret area and found themselves in the dim twilight of the training centre.

"There are monsters," Yuffie warned him. Even as she spoke, Cloud spotted a dark shape moving in the shadows. Yuffie followed his gaze. "Grats!" She readied her shuriken, but Cloud stopped her.

"We don't have time for that. Just run."

"Okay!"

They ran over the patchy ground and across a bridge, ignoring the scuttling shapes which attempted to waylay them. A set of doors hissed open, leading into the next area.

"Almost th- _what the hell is that_?" Yuffie halted so sharply that Cloud almost bumped into her. He grabbed her arm.

"Keep running!"

A monster stood right in front of them – a gigantic monster on two legs, with one of the largest set of jaws he had ever seen. It charged at them and missed Yuffie's body by inches. They ran. The sound of their panting filled his ears. He risked a glance back and saw the monster start lumbering forwards towards them. The ground vibrated with every step of its huge feet.

"This way!" Yuffie cried, taking the lead. They left the jungle behind, dashed into a dark corridor and through the doors that led out of the training centre. The monster roared behind them, but it couldn't get out. Yuffie sighed with relief. She sank down to the floor to catch her breath. He could tell the encounter had shaken her nerves. Cloud knelt down beside her.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah… Cloud, this is it." She looked up at him. "Kelling… he wants you to – to cut off Rinoa's head and take it back to him, as proof."

He nodded, thinking of the photograph that Kelling had given him. The photograph that was crumpled and worn now because Cloud had handled it so many times, memorising her face. If Kelling wanted proof, he would get it. Beheading Rinoa would kill her instantly; it was a kinder death than… than she had suffered.

He pulled Yuffie up and stared at her, unsmiling. "Take me to Rinoa."

* * *

The car pulled up before the entrance to the parking lot.

"Wind the window down," Squall instructed the chauffeur. The driver obeyed, and Squall leaned through the window to type in the code which would allow them access to the parking lot. He pressed in the last key and the metal doors slid open. They drove through the tunnel. A couple of minutes later, the lights of Balamb Garden appeared and the car parked next to the exit.

"Thanks," said Squall stiffly as the chauffeur held the door open for him. He walked into Balamb Garden, tugging at his collar. He was tired and very tempted to go straight upstairs to bed. But his eyes caught a movement across another walkway: a young couple heading to the dormitories. It made him think of Rinoa. Perhaps he could surprise her.

He strolled towards the dormitories, thinking of nothing in particular except the delight he anticipated on Rinoa's face when she saw him. His muscles ached. He could do with some relaxation.

* * *

"The girls' dormitories are just down this corridor," Yuffie informed him.

Cloud nodded. He looked tense, his face grim and determined. The corridor was deserted. A little way down, it split into three.

"The left one," said Yuffie.

"What's this?" a male voice drawled.

Yuffie gasped and clutched Cloud's arm. Seifer had appeared from one of the other corridors. His arm was still in a sling. He wore his white coat and a smirk.

Seifer looked at Cloud and raised his eyebrows. "Sneaking your boyfriend into your room already? On your first day too – couldn't wait, huh?"

"Seifer, just leave us alone, will you?"

"Sorry, can't do that. Hey, silent boy – are you even from Garden?"

Cloud narrowed his eyes. He looked at Yuffie.

"I'll deal with him," she whispered. "You go."

He started moving towards the left hand corridor, but Seifer sidestepped and blocked him.

"You're not allowed through here."

Cloud shoved past him, making sure to hit his injured arm. Seifer winced and stumbled aside.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"Cloud!" Yuffie cried. "It's A17! A17!"

Seifer's eyes widened. "That's Rinoa's-"

But he didn't get any further because Yuffie whacked him over the head with her shuriken. She was too close to throw it, but that didn't matter; the blow she dealt was hard enough to daze him. He stumbled back and swore.

"You –!"

Seifer fumbled with his left arm to draw his sword clumsily. She didn't give him a chance to use it. Instead she hit him again with the handle of her shuriken, right in the middle of his forehead. This time the blow knocked him out. He slid down to the floor at her feet. Yuffie jumped over his body and chased after Cloud, who had already disappeared down the left hand corridor. She had to support him.

* * *

Cloud sprinted down the corridor, his eyes flicking from side to side, checking the numbers on the doors. As he neared the end, he drew his sword in one swift movement and gripped it in both hands. There. A17. He leapt and brought his sword down, smashing through the door. It flew right off its hinges; the splintering, cracking sound it made was enough to wake anybody; he had to be quick.

The room was in darkness. Before he had time to find his bearings, a dark shape rushed towards him. It growled and he had a fleeting impression of a canine snarl and hot breath before his sword flashed again. He sliced the dog clean in half; it let out a strangled whimper and tumbled to the floor, blood already pooling around it.

Somebody screamed a high, piercing scream. Cloud stepped over the dog, his eyes now fixed on his target. Rinoa was sitting up in her bed, her face white and terrified. He raised his sword and lunged–

* * *

The crash of the broken door woke her up. Rinoa jolted upright in her bed, in time to see her beloved dog being killed in front of her. Fear flooded into her body. She screamed. But the terror seemed to have stupefied her; her muscles tensed and became rigid. Frozen, she gripped the bed sheets with her pale hands as though they might protect her and stared into the face of the man who had just killed her pet.

Everything else in the room seemed blurred and hazy. Only the man's face and his huge, red-shining sword were clear. He had the most terrifying eyes she had ever seen. They were bright blue and shone with an unearthly light. They were unnatural, alien. And now amidst the darkness, only two things glittered bright and sharp: those glowing eyes and the giant blade flying towards her throat.

She couldn't move, couldn't react. Even her voice had left her; she managed only a faint whimper. _Squall_, she thought. _Squall…_

The man stumbled; his blade slipped aside. He staggered – and behind him was Selphie – she had hit him in the back with her nunchaku.

"Rinoa!" Selphie shrieked. "Run!"

And Rinoa suddenly found control of her body again; she ripped the sheets aside frantically, afraid that she might get tangled up. She jumped towards Selphie – but the man was already recovering; he was so fast, so strong! She glanced down in horror as Selphie yanked at her arm, and the image of her dead pet burned itself into her mind. _Angelo…_ Rinoa blinked tears away from her eyes as Selphie pulled her out of the room and into the corridor. Then she looked back and saw _his_ eyes glittering in the darkness – he was coming, he was coming for her. Her bare feet felt wet and a sick feeling rose up in the pit of her stomach as she realised why.

* * *

Yuffie rushed down the corridor just as Selphie emerged from her bedroom. She was wearing a flimsy green nightdress but she had her nunchaku gripped in her hands. Before Yuffie could reach her, she dashed into Rinoa's room and barely two seconds later dashed out again, this time dragging a white-faced Rinoa with her.

Selphie's green eyes alighted on Yuffie and she called out in relief. "Yuffie! We need your help-"

The two girls started towards her, Selphie in front. They trailed bloody footsteps down the hall. Yuffie knew what she had to do. She whipped out her knife from her boot as she moved and quick as a flash, she grabbed Selphie, spun her round, and pressed the knife against her throat.

Selphie and Rinoa both gasped. Rinoa started backing away, just as Cloud darted out of the doorway and attacked her again. With Yuffie blocking her way up the corridor, she had no choice but to flee down the corridor.

Meanwhile, Yuffie's attention was occupied by trying to hold back Selphie. Despite the blade held under her neck, she was twisting and writhing.

"Drop the weapon and don't move," Yuffie snarled. "I'll cut your throat, I swear, I'll do it!"

The hand holding the knife quivered and drew blood. Selphie was shaking, but she did as Yuffie said. Her eyes filled with tears.

"I trusted you," she whispered. "I trusted you…"

* * *

A sense of alarm tingled through his body as soon as he saw Seifer sprawled on the floor. Squall knelt down and shook him.

"Seifer!"

Seifer stirred and groaned. A huge bruise darkened his forehead and blood seeped through the bandages that encased his injured arm. He looked at Squall and his lips moved.

"Rinoa…"

That faint sound was all Squall needed to hear. Something was wrong, very wrong. He left Seifer and broke into a sprint.

* * *

Cloud steadied his blade again and stepped towards Rinoa. There was just enough room in the corridor to swing his sword. He flicked his head sideways to see what had happened to the other girl, the one who was armed, and saw that Yuffie was holding her back. Good. She was letting him finish this.

Rinoa was wearing a long white nightdress and she looked almost ghost-like as she tried to run from him. He sliced the blade across in front of him, and missed as she flew on like an ethereal bird in the twilight of the corridor. But it didn't matter; she was running the wrong way – towards a dead end. She couldn't escape.

He drew the blade back, about to attack again, when someone else burst out of the room to his right. Cloud paused, eyes wide, to assess this new threat. Something blurred past at the edge of his vision; he heard a crack and at the same time felt a stab of pain in his wrist. He dropped his sword; it slid, spinning, across the floor.

"Rinoa, stay behind me!" the person called. It was a woman, he saw, wearing a dressing gown. She planted her feet in the middle of the corridor as he reached for his sword and flicked her wrist. He saw what it was this time – a whip, and quick as she wielded it, he was quicker; he dodged and the whip grazed his shoulder before coiling back again as the woman readied herself in a battle stance. Cloud snatched up his sword. The whip snaked out again, but he caught it – it coiled around the blade. The woman cried out in surprise and tried to pull it back. As she did so, he jerked the whip out of her hand and struck her unprotected side. He felt the judder as his blade cleaved through her flesh. She screamed. Cloud flung her aside, ignoring the blood which spattered into the air. He had to reach Rinoa.

Behind him, he heard another scream, but that wasn't important; he trusted Yuffie to watch his back. He had to kill Rinoa.

Rinoa reached the end of the corridor and turned. Her breath came in terrified gasps. She shrank back and crossed her arms over her chest as though hoping to protect herself. He sliced his sword towards her neck – and met an invisible barrier. Cloud staggered backwards, blinking in shock. A pale light engulfed Rinoa; he sensed energy surging from her and shielded his face with one hand. She floated into the air. White wings unfolded from her back. The light faded, the wings disappeared and Rinoa landed back on the floor – but there was something different about her now. He could feel it – the magical power inside her. She raised her hand.

Flames shot out; they licked and curled around his body. Cloud gasped in pain, but the flames vanished as suddenly as they appeared and now Rinoa was throwing shards of ice at him. He blocked them with the flat of his blade and struck her before she could use any more magic. Again the blade met the invisible barrier, but this time it shattered like glass. He didn't see it with his eyes – he felt it, in the same way that he perceived the energy leaving Rinoa as she was thrown against the wall, her shield broken. She cried out and sank to the floor. She whimpered, curled up and hugged her shaking body as she watched him approach. Whatever Sorceress powers she had used were gone. She was unarmed, defenceless.

"Squall!" she called suddenly. "Squall, help me!"

Cloud strode towards her and raised his sword. He had to do this. He had to do it, to save Tifa. And as he stared into Rinoa's tear-streaked face, her dark hair, her dark eyes, her features seemed to morph. It was no longer the Sorceress he saw crouching there, but Tifa, looking up at him pleadingly. Cloud hesitated. Another picture came into his mind. He saw himself stabbing Rinoa in the stomach, saw her falling gracefully – and there was a mirror image too. Sephiroth, bearing down upon Aerith, his face twisted in savage glee. The sweet, innocent flower girl, impaled by his sword, still beautiful even as the life left her body. If he killed Rinoa, he would be just like Sephiroth.

His limbs shook. He had to push the images away. He couldn't let the past haunt him like this… not now. Cloud took a deep breath.

* * *

Her captive had screamed as Cloud cut Quistis down and cheered when Rinoa attacked him using her arcane powers.

"Quiet!" Yuffie spat, although she was feeling sick herself. Cloud was hurt and Rinoa was going to die. And as for the other SeeDs who had tried to protect her… The thought of them made the bile rise in her throat. Not so long ago, she had talked, laughed and joked with these two women and now one of them was slowly bleeding to death on the floor and she held her knife to the throat of the other.

She watched Cloud bear down upon Rinoa… any moment now and this nightmare would be over… Selphie's body gave a little quiver, which alerted her – she looked back down the corridor and her stomach dropped. Squall rushed down the corridor straight at them, his face a mask of fury. He didn't even glance at her; his eyes were fixed on Cloud – and Cloud hadn't seen him, Cloud's back was turned…

"Cloud!" Yuffie shrieked. "Behind you!"

* * *

Cloud turned, twisting his blade, and saw Squall bearing down upon him. Squall's face wore a look of pure venom. He parried, but was taken aback by Squall's strength; Squall wrenched his sword upwards and almost hit Cloud; he was forced to dodge sideways and leap away as Squall aimed another blow at him. The SeeD commander was quick to jump behind Cloud. Now he was standing in the way of Rinoa.

Squall gripped a blue sword in both his hands. There was something strange about the handle, Cloud thought, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. His muscles tensed, ready to spring…

"Who are you?" Squall snapped.

Cloud didn't answer. Instead he swung his blade almost before Squall had finished the sentence, hoping to catch him off guard. But Squall parried; their swords clashed and even though Cloud knew his enemy must be burning up with anger, his strokes remained calculated, he restrained his fury and not once did he let Cloud get past his guard. Instead, Cloud found himself being pushed back – they were both equally matched in agility, but Cloud's blade was heavier and more difficult to wield in the narrow corridor.

Their swords clashed again and this time Cloud twisted so that their blades were locked together. He pushed forward; he was slightly shorter than his adversary, but he thought he was stronger. Squall gritted his teeth, muscles straining but was forced to take a step back. Cloud pressed his advantage, hoping to get under Squall's guard. Squall closed his eyes for a moment and Cloud sensed the energy building up inside his body. He caught his breath, eyes wide. Magic. He felt the ripples of power stirring. Squall cast the spell and broke away at the same time, his sword flashing and nearly ripping Cloud's arm in two. Cloud jumped back but he couldn't avoid the spell; a bolt of magical lightning hit him. The energy crackled around him, but it only made his spiky hair stand on end even more; Cloud had long since become immune to lightning.

With a grim chuckle, he attacked again. He could tell that Squall hadn't expected the magic to have so little effect on him. The SeeD commander raised his sword to block Cloud–

* * *

The door of Selphie's room flew open again and a man dashed out.

"Irvine!" Selphie shrieked. "Irvine, k-"

Yuffie clamped her free hand over Selphie's mouth, stifling the girl's cries. Irvine stared at them. His hair hung loose and ragged about his shoulders and he wore only his trousers, but Yuffie didn't take much notice of that. She was looking at the gun he held in his hand.

"Don't shoot!" Yuffie screamed, before he could react. "Don't shoot or I'll kill her, I swear, I'll rip her throat out!"

Irvine's face was white and rigid. "Sefie…" he whispered. He looked around and Yuffie knew he was taking in the scene – the flashing of swords at the end of the corridor as Squall and Cloud fought, blind to all else but each other; Quistis, limp as a broken doll on the floor, which was stained with her blood; and finally Yuffie and Selphie, locked into a deadly embrace, the nunchaku lying there where Yuffie had kicked it away.

Irvine raised his hands. "I'm not going to," he said. He took a step forwards towards Quistis.

"Don't move!" said Yuffie, making sure that Selphie's body shielded her own. "I'll do it, I swear…" She flicked her knife and cut off the bottom of Selphie's earlobe. Selphie winced but her squeal of pain was muffled by Yuffie's hand.

Irvine flinched. "I won't shoot; I'm just going to cure Quistis, okay?" He knelt down beside her. Quistis was unconscious, her hand clutching her side. Yuffie watched, hardly daring to breathe, as he cast a healing spell upon her. Irvine was still holding his gun and now his back was turned towards her so she couldn't see it…

She trembled. "Drop the gun. Drop the gun!"

The gun went off.

* * *

Cloud knew that Squall was tiring. He sensed it in the flagging pace of Squall's blows; the SeeD commander wasn't injured yet for he was agile and clever, but his parries were getting slower and his dodges barely avoided Cloud's strikes. Cloud's inhuman strength and endurance gave him an advantage and he intended to use it.

He hung back for a moment, waiting for the inevitable mistake that would come as his opponent tired…

Squall lunged forward and thrust at his heart. Cloud dodged easily. He swatted the strange blue sword aside with the flat of his, leaving Squall off balance enough that his entire right side was vulnerable. _Now_, he thought. He swung his blade in the beginning of a deadly arc. Squall's eyes widened in fear–

An explosion of pain. He felt it in his shoulder first, and then he heard the sharp crack of the gunshot. The pain spread. He clutched his shoulder with one hand, felt his sword slip out of the other and he was falling, falling… the world blurred and faded into nothing.

* * *

"No!" She saw Cloud shudder, begin to collapse – and Squall was right there to deal the finishing blow. Yuffie dropped the knife, wrenched Selphie away from her and hurled herself towards Cloud – she had to save him. She moved so fast that neither Squall nor Irvine had reacted before she flung her arms around him and shielded his body with hers. Her fingers touched sticky blood and some part of her mind that was still rational remembered the materia. She reached out with her mind to cast a cure spell – but nothing happened. She couldn't connect. Tears sprang to her eyes. It was all wrong; everything had gone wrong. She looked up. Squall had his sword raised – Irvine had his gun pointed straight at them – but as Yuffie burst into noisy sobs, both of them hesitated.

"Please! Please don't kill us! We had to, we had to do it, we were blackmailed – don't kill him! Don't kill me! He sent us to do it, we didn't want to! Please…" She was babbling; she saw the world through a haze of tears and she could hardly believe she had been reduced to this, but she knew these people around her and she could only hope that they would show her more mercy than she had shown thus far.

She looked back and forth between Squall and Irvine, her eyes wide and pleading. Squall was distracted by Rinoa appearing at his side to sob on his shoulder; he turned to comfort her and now only Irvine had his weapon trained on them. Irvine's face was completely bloodless, but he was still hesitating – perhaps some natural sense of chivalry prevented him from shooting a girl.

Selphie had no such qualms. She got to her feet, holding her nunchaku and Yuffie would never have imagined that her normally cheerful face could look so fierce.

"What are you waiting for?" she yelled at Irvine. "Shoot her!"

Irvine's hand trembled, but still he did not shoot.

Selphie screamed, a sound of pure fury. She twirled, the sticks of death twirling with her, and one end shot towards Yuffie's face. For a split second, pain overwhelmed Yuffie's senses, and then her senses stopped working at all.


	11. First Interlude

**11**

**First Interlude**

Rain pattered against the window. It had started off as drizzle, fine and misty, obscuring the view like fog. Its intensity increased until a sheet of grey was all that could be seen.

A naked light bulb tried and failed to properly illuminate the room. It was grey and dismal; the only truly bright colour appeared in the form of a pink ribbon tied in a little girl's hair. Denzel regarded her fondly. Marlene was like a little sister to him. Always cheerful, she brightened up his day like no-one else could. Of course, in true brotherly tradition, he often complained loudly about how annoying she was. She had once again embroiled him in a game of war involving two opposing factions of teddy bears, dolls and other toys, which she had somehow managed to turn into a soap-opera worthy drama.

"You can't charge at Moggy on a chocobo," Marlene objected. "Mog loves her; he wouldn't do that." She made the female moogle gaze beseechingly at her estranged lover with her cross-stitched eyes.

"He doesn't and anyway his loyalties are to whoever pays him. He's going to kidnap Moggy because Bear ordered him to."

The pitch of Marlene's voice became higher as she spoke for Moggy. "Please, Mog, I'm all my father has left – you wouldn't-"

But Denzel made the chocobo-riding moogle rush towards Marlene and he snatched Moggy out of her hand.

"Hey!" Marlene picked up a large cuddly dragon – Moggy's father. "Noooo! My daughter!"

Denzel arranged his legion – with the large brown Bear and a badly stuffed manikin called Cloud at its head – and laughed triumphantly. "Surrender your castle or Moggy dies!"

"I'll get my giant white rabbits to fight you!"

"Then I'll get Cloud to chop them up. He's the best fighter in the world!"

"It's not fair," Marlene pouted. "You always get Cloud. Why can't I have him on my side?"

Denzel, who had been leaning against the bed with his legs tucked under him, shifted. The hard floor was getting too uncomfortable for his knees. He sat cross-legged instead, like Marlene was doing. He sighed and at the same time his stomach rumbled.

"Just surrender now and I'll let you have Cloud next time. Anyway, I'm hungry – what time is it?"

Marlene looked at her watch. "It's late. I'm hungry too. Is Tifa back yet?"

"I don't know." He stood up. The fun had quickly evaporated out of the game. It was always like that – they got more enjoyment out of setting up the game, plotting alliances and arranging the toys than actually playing.

The light bulb flickered. Denzel looked around. He hadn't noticed how dark it had become. Now they had stopped talking, the noise of the rain seemed louder than ever, but otherwise all was silent.

"Well," said Marlene, standing up and brushing down her dress, "if Tifa isn't back yet I'll go ask Cloud to make us some pancakes."

"Pancakes? You know Cloud's rubbish at making pancakes."

"We can help him. It'll be a surprise for Tifa!"

"Okay…"

Marlene led the way out of the bedroom they shared, into the narrow first floor corridor. Cloud's office was just across from the bedroom, and as usual the door was shut. Cloud liked privacy while he was working. He'd arrived home about an hour ago, asked after Tifa, and then shut himself in his room. Denzel and Marlene were used to this; Cloud always sorted out whatever it was he did to do with his job before answering Tifa's call to have dinner.

It was already past the time they usually ate together. Marlene knocked on the door of the office.

"Cloud?"

No answer. Denzel nudged Marlene aside and knocked himself.

"Hey, Cloud, we're hungry. Do you wanna make some pancakes?"

When there was still no response, Denzel looked at Marlene. Her brown eyes were wide with anxiety. He didn't want to give himself any chance to worry, so he pushed the door without further delay. Cloud would be there, he'd assure them that Tifa would return in a few minutes, he'd take them downstairs and make pancakes–

The door creaked open, revealing an empty office. For a few seconds, the two children stood frozen, their eyes wide and staring.

Finally, Marlene stated the obvious. "Cloud's not there."

"He is here, he is – he just went to the bathroom or something." And so saying, Denzel went to check all the other rooms. With each empty room, his panic increased. The bathroom door was ajar, clearly unoccupied, and so was the bedroom and the kitchen, and then he ran downstairs to the bar and it was so dark and dingy and empty that it made him feel scared – where was Cloud, where was he?

Marlene watched him from the top of the staircase as he climbed back up.

"He's not here?"

He shook his head. "He – he must have gone out for a bit – maybe he went to buy some food or he's outside checking his motorbike-"

"He's not," said Marlene quietly. "You can see the yard from our room and it's empty."

Denzel reached the landing and ran past Marlene back into the office. There must be some clue, a note…

"He hasn't left us, he hasn't," he muttered feverishly, "he promised he wouldn't, he'll be back in a couple of minutes – he wouldn't leave again, I know he wouldn't…" He closed his mouth as Marlene joined him and slipped her hand into his. He'd thought he was saying all this to comfort Marlene; after all, he was the big brother, but it didn't take him long to realise that he was trying to convince himself.

"He was definitely here," said Marlene, frowning. "So why did he leave without telling us?"

"Look – his phone's still on the desk. He never goes anywhere without his phone." It was strange. The office bore all the signs of occupancy, except for the occupant. There was even a half-finished memo, a pen without its lid lying on top of it; looking more closely, Denzel saw that the writing stopped mid-sentence. And next to it, an almost full cup of coffee, cold and still now.

"His sword's gone though," said Marlene.

Yes – that was the only thing gone missing, apart from Cloud himself. Cloud never went anywhere unarmed; he kept one of his swords in the office with him while he worked and transferred it to his bedroom when he slept. He'd told Denzel it was so he could never be caught unawares.

Did that mean that there was some danger they'd been unaware of and Cloud had rushed out to meet it? Without even stopping to warn them? It didn't sound right. He trembled slightly and made himself stop because Marlene was holding his hand and he didn't want her to sense his fear.

Denzel picked up Cloud's phone. "Let's call Tifa. She'll know what to do."

Marlene nodded. They left Cloud's office (somehow it didn't seem right to linger) and returned to their bedroom. Denzel perched on his bed, noticing the array of toys still on the floor and wishing he could go back to the moment when they had been playing completely unaware of the absence of their adoptive parents. Marlene sat down next to him and picked up her favourite toy, Moggy. She clutched the pink moogle to her chest.

Denzel took a deep breath and phoned Tifa's number. He waited for a second and then…

"It's ringing," he told Marlene. That meant the phone was switched on, at least.

Marlene's head turned. "I can hear something downstairs."

"What – is someone in the bar?"

"No, it sounds like a phone ringing."

Still holding the phone to his ear, Denzel motioned her to get up. The two children crept downstairs and into the dark bar. The ringing sound grew louder with every step. To Denzel's dismay, it corresponded exactly with the tone he was hearing… and still nobody was answering.

His suspicions were confirmed when Marlene slipped behind the bar and found the source of the noise. Tifa's mobile phone rested on the counter. They wouldn't have spotted it in the darkness if the screen hadn't been glowing. Denzel cancelled the call and both phones stopped ringing at once.

He tapped it against his hand and stared at Marlene. He couldn't think of anything to say.

Marlene's forehead was creased in puzzlement. "Why did Tifa leave her phone in the bar?"

Denzel didn't answer. The silence lengthened, broken only by the humming of the fan on the ceiling. His stomach knotted.

Marlene bent down behind the counter, disappearing out of his sight for a moment. She straightened up at once, her pale face still looking confused. In her hand was a paper bag, which she placed on the counter. She peered inside and pulled out a couple of tins.

"Look – food. Tifa said she was going to get us something to eat, remember?"

He stared at her, his heart pounding. What did all this mean? There had to be some explanation.

"She probably left it there from another time," he said, but even as he said it, he knew he sounded unconvincing.

"Do you remember what you asked her to get?"

"Those sweets I like…" Denzel's voice trailed off as Marlene produced the packet. He felt himself tremble involuntarily. He didn't understand what was going on.

And now Marlene was looking to him for guidance, her eyes wide with bewilderment. "Has Tifa gone too?"

"N-no, of course not! She can't have." He was the big brother. He had to reassure her, he had to think of something. "No, she's just… delayed or something. We'll be fine, we'll look after ourselves. I'll – I'll make you pancakes, Marlene."

He looked around the dim bar as though hoping Tifa would suddenly appear, shouting, "Surprise!" But she didn't, of course she didn't; this was real, not a game of hide and seek, and he was scared and ashamed of being scared and he couldn't let Marlene know. He straightened up and squared his shoulders.

But Marlene had picked up the phone and was staring at it thoughtfully. "I think we should call Papa."

Of course! Why hadn't he thought of that?

"Good idea!" He grinned at her. He let her dial the number. By 'Papa' she meant that hulking man with the loud voice and the metal arm whom everybody else called Barret. He had found it strange when he first saw them together. The big man looked too threatening, too dangerous to have a small daughter like Marlene. And surely he couldn't be her real father – they didn't look anything alike. But Denzel had quickly learned to accept this; Marlene was an orphan just like him, only she was lucky because she had never known her parents – Barret had been her foster father almost from the start.

Both of them waited in tense silence as the phone rang. Marlene pressed her finger to her mouth and made a shushing gesture even though he wasn't saying anything. He pulled himself onto one of the bar stools so he could lean on the counter and listen.

He heard a gruff voice, made tinny by the speaker, saying, "Hey, s'up?"

"Papa?"

"Marlene!" The voice went on speaking, but Denzel found it difficult to make out; he heard only Marlene's side of the conversation.

"Have you seen Cloud or Tifa? – no… they're not here. Cloud's gone and Tifa has too… yes… Will you come, please?"

The voice on the other end was becoming louder and more annoyed. Denzel caught something about 'kicking his spiky butt next time I see him'. Marlene interrupted the tirade.

"Papa! Maybe they got lost or something, we don't know… yes, we're sure, they should have been back hours ago – well, Cloud was back, but then he just vanished from his room… can you…? Oh, thank you! Okay – okay – love you… bye!" She ended the call and looked at Denzel. "He's coming over as fast as he can."

He nodded, the knot in his stomach loosening slightly.

"And he says to phone all their friends and see if they know where they are."

"Good idea," said Denzel. "Here, let me do it." His stomach rumbled, but he ignored it. Pancakes weren't so important; finding Cloud and Tifa was. He searched through the phonebook and called all the names he recognised. Vincent's went straight to voicemail. He cancelled the call and moved on to the next name. Cid answered after a few rings, sounding thoroughly annoyed.

"Tifa, I'm in the middle of a goddamn meal here-"

"It's not Tifa."

"Huh? Who the hell are you?"

"It's Denzel. We were wondering if you've seen Cloud or Tifa lately…"

"They live with you, kid. I ain't spoken to Cloud since yesterday. What's up?"

Denzel told him. Cid swore loudly, but then his voice became warmer, gentler. "Listen, kid. If they ain't turned up by tomorrow mornin', I'll take everyone in the Sierra and get over to Edge straight away to help you search for them, got that? So make sure to let the gang know, and send me a message tomorrow."

"Thanks, will do." He felt so relieved and lucky that Cloud and Tifa had such a good network of friends who were willing to help them. He cancelled the call and told Marlene about Cid's plans. She nodded, smiling.

"I knew he would."

He tried calling Yuffie next, but he couldn't get a signal. "That's weird… she normally has her phone switched on all the time…"

Then he called Reeve, but the phone was busy.

"Just send him a message," Marlene suggested.

"Okay." He knew Reeve was busy a lot with his work, but he was sure he would take time to help them or at least send Cait Sith along. He sent both Reeve and Vincent a voicemail message and then he put the phone down and rubbed his belly.

"How about those pancakes?"

* * *

Denzel lay wide-eyed in his bed. He turned over yet again and looked at the clock. It was three in the morning and Cloud and Tifa still hadn't returned. Barret had arrived around midnight, just when they were starting to get really frightened, jumping at small noises and imaginary shadows. Denzel had imagined that there was some kind of curse on the house, so that everyone they called would mysteriously disappear; Barret wouldn't turn up, and then Cid and his airship would vanish and…

But all that seemed childish when Barret barged into the house. His huge, warm presence filled the room. It made Denzel feel safer knowing that he was sleeping downstairs on the sofa. He had promised to look after them for the moment; there was nothing else they could do but wait until the morning.

But now all his fears came creeping back. The moon had set, so the room was almost pitch black, so dark he couldn't even see Marlene's silhouette, although he knew she was lying right opposite him, in the bed next to his. All he could hear was her soft breathing. Or perhaps that was an illusion, perhaps it was only the wind whistling through the streets outside and Marlene had vanished too…

The whispering, gnawing doubts in his mind surfaced. They laughed at him for his wild imagination. _The answer's simple_, they said. _Cloud and Tifa wouldn't abandon you. So obviously they must be–_

_No!_ He couldn't think it. He couldn't even bear to say the word in his mind. Too many people he loved were no longer with him. Did Marlene understand the concept? Would he have to try and explain it to her, when he wasn't even sure himself? Could he bring himself to tell her that they might not come back?

These and other despondent thoughts kept Denzel awake for a long time. The room had turned grey with the haze of early morning before he finally shut his eyes.

* * *

The next morning, Barret shook Denzel awake. His huge face loomed over the bed and frightened Denzel badly. He jumped and accidentally whacked Barret in the forehead. It was not a promising start to the day.

Tousle-haired and sleepy-eyed, Denzel and Marlene followed Barret downstairs hand-in-hand. They ate a miserable breakfast together in the kitchen. Marlene went over and sat on her father's lap. Barret hugged her and promised her that they would find Cloud and Tifa soon. Denzel watched, tight-lipped. He had no such comfort.

Not long after, Cid arrived in his airship as promised. He had brought along Vincent, Red XIII and Cait Sith. They all crowded into the kitchen as Denzel and Marlene told their story again.

"You know what worries me?" said Cid. "Yuffie ain't answering any calls either. It's like they vanished off the face of the Planet."

"She called me yesterday," said Vincent. "She said she was coming here to visit Cloud and Tifa. Asked me if I wanted to come. I declined."

"D'you think she got here?" Cid asked, frowning.

Red looked up from his position curled up on the kitchen table. "Perhaps we're getting ahead of ourselves," he said. "They haven't been gone for too long… there may be a simple explanation."

"Well, whatever it is, I can't think of it," Cid muttered.

Barret banged on the table with his metal arm. The jolt knocked Cait Sith off his perch on Red's head.

"Watch it!" said the cat, but Barret ignored him.

"We're wasting time," he said. "I say we get out there and look! Soon as I find Cloud, I'll be dragging his spiky ass back here and telling him to get his goddamn act together!"

"All right!" said Cid. "I'll scout around in the airship. The rest of you, split up and search on foot."

Denzel wanted to go out and search too, but Barret wouldn't let him, despite his protests that he knew the winding streets of the city better than all of the adults present. They left Cait Sith at the house to baby-sit them. Barret went out alone to ask around in Edge. Vincent and Red left to explore the ruins of the old Midgar, going first to the church. Cid scouted the wastelands surrounding the city in his airship.

But Denzel was forced to sit in his bedroom and watch Marlene playing with Cait Sith. He liked the mechanical cat too; he was fascinated by the intricate workings of the robot and its intelligent sense of humour, but right now definitely wasn't the time. However entertaining Cait Sith tried to be, his expression remained sullen and he kept looking out of the window to see if anyone had returned yet. Marlene smiled and laughed, but every now and then she too would glance out of the window and he knew that inside she was just as worried as him.

Evening drew on and one by one, all of the searchers returned unsuccessful. Barret was the first to return. A couple of people in the city had told him that they saw Tifa shopping yesterday, but that was all he was able to find out. Vincent and Red returned next. They reported that the church in the slums remained deserted; there were no signs that Cloud had been to visit it lately, and all the tracks of Cloud's scent were old. Neither Cloud nor Tifa had gone to the ruins of Midgar.

Cid returned last. He had been on a long journey, first roaming over the skies of the wastelands. Then he had taken a trip to Healin, sworn at Rufus and the President had promised that his Turks would look out for his missing friends. Last of all, he had flown all the way over to Wutai to try and find Yuffie. Yuffie's father told him that she had gone to stay with Tifa and Cloud.

All in all, the news wasn't good. It was a dejected group that ate a late night meal in the Seventh Heaven bar. It didn't feel right without Cloud and Tifa. Cid made a few half-hearted attempts at conversation, which quickly fizzled out.

Red spoke in his soft growl. "Do you think we should go out and start looking again?"

Cid stubbed out his cigarette irritably. "I'm beat. We can look again tomorrow. Let's get back to the airship."

Barret, Marlene and Denzel all crowded around at the door as their friends left. There wasn't much room for them all to sleep in the house, but more than that, Denzel sensed a silent affirmation that it would somehow be disrespectful for them to all crowd in while Cloud and Tifa were gone. It was dark, but he saw the shape of the airship moored on the outskirts of the town, not too far away.

A fine rain started to fall. Denzel ducked back inside the entrance, looking out over the misty street. A man wearing a wide-brimmed hat walked up to them.

"Is the bar open?" he asked.

"'Fraid not," Barret replied.

The man pulled his heavy coat tighter around himself and looked up at them all. Denzel recognised his face; he had visited the bar a couple of times before.

"Ah, never mind," the man answered. He was about to turn away when Barret spoke again.

"Hey, Piet, you ain't seen Cloud or Tifa, have you?"

Piet shook his head, scattering water droplets into the air. "I'm afraid not. My apologies. Good luck finding them." He tipped his hat and walked away, head bowed against the drizzle.

The interruption over, the group said their goodbyes (Cid shook Barret's hand and gave him and Marlene a friendly pat on the shoulder, Red rubbed his head affectionately against Denzel's hand and whispered that they shouldn't worry and Vincent just gave them a silent stare and a nod) and turned to leave. Cid strode ahead, lighting another cigarette as he walked. Vincent followed him like a shadow; his clothes and hair were so dark that he was hard to make out in the gloom. Red bounded over a puddle, the flame on his tail lighting up the ripples, but then he suddenly stopped, one paw raised in the air. His tail lashed.

Denzel knew Red well enough by now to realise that the creature was agitated.

"What is it?" he called.

"There's something… here…" Red sniffed the air and moved to the left, across the pavement outside Seventh Heaven.

Vincent swept back towards them, his face as stern and expressionless as ever. Denzel had always found his deadened crimson eyes frightening. Cid stopped in his tracks but didn't join them; he tapped his foot impatiently.

"What're you two geezers messin' at?"

"Something… right around… here."

"Oi, what's up?" Barret called.

Vincent stood next to Red and looked around. Denzel's curiosity was all aflame, but Barret's huge hand prevented him from running outside to find out what they were looking at.

Red looked up at Vincent. "Do you sense it?" he asked.

"Odd," said Vincent. "It feels almost as though…"

He didn't get to finish his sentence because right at that moment Denzel blinked and when his eyes flicked open again both of them had vanished.


	12. The Blond Assassin

**12**

**The Blond Assassin**

Squall had never known a night to last so long. Rinoa laid in his arms, sleeping at last, the tear stains still visible on her face. But Squall sat up, hunched over and brooding. He stared into the darkness of their room: the still white curtains, the dresser, his gunblade resting against the bedpost. But he saw none of it. Instead, scenes from a few hours ago replayed before his eyes.

Blood stained the floor, Rinoa shook in his embrace and Selphie had collapsed into Irvine's arms. Then the female students peeped out of their doors and saw the carnage. Panic reigned at first, but in the end everyone turned to him for guidance. He ordered the students to start cleaning up. Irvine and Selphie took Quistis to the infirmary.

None of them slept. After taking the blond assassin to the infirmary, Selphie and Irvine stayed up to guard him and watch over Quistis. Rinoa had wanted to stay by Quistis' side too, but as soon as she saw the assassin laid out in the next room, she backed away, her mouth open in terror and couldn't bring herself to go anywhere near him.

Squall had taken her upstairs, away from the horror. He stayed with her the rest of the night. He knew he had so many other priorities, but he couldn't leave her alone, not now. Rinoa always came first.

"Just hold me," she'd whispered.

And he did. He held her while she wept. That was all he could do. It was strange, he thought. The earth had not shattered, in most of the dormitories the students slept blissfully unaware of what had happened, and though for him everything had changed, life continued. The night went on.

But morning came, as it always did, and now it was time to deal with recent events. Squall dressed quickly and left without waking Rinoa. It felt strange that this morning he couldn't let Angelo jump on the bed to keep her company in his absence, but he tried not to think about it.

He went to the infirmary to check on the status of its patients. Selphie greeted him, looking tired. She and Irvine had been guarding the infirmary in shifts all night. He looked down at the assassin. Asleep, he looked oddly peaceful. With his fine-boned face and light hair, he didn't look like a killer. But Squall had seen that huge sword he wielded – it had taken two students to carry it up to his office.

_What kind of man could break his way into Garden and, outnumbered, hold his own against top class SeeDs?_

He looked at Selphie. "Take him to the Disciplinary Room as soon as he wakes up," he said.

She gave him a wan smile. "Okay."

Doctor Kadowaki entered the room. She walked past Selphie and Squall and checked the assassin's pulse. Squall noticed a little frown crease her brow.

"What is it?" he asked.

The doctor shook her head. "I've never seen anything like it. His wound is healing remarkably fast. I don't like to say it, but all my years as a medical practitioner couldn't cure an injury like this overnight. It's… not normal."

Something flickered in Squall's mind. He thought of how strong the assassin was, the strange light in his eyes, and the way he countered magic. Was there a GF residing inside him?

"Selphie, have you junctioned a GF today?" he asked.

She nodded. "Siren. We're all ready to go, if he wakes up."

"Can you draw anything out of him?"

"Sure." She closed her eyes. Her calm expression turned into a frown. "Wait – there's nothing there." Her eyes opened again. "That's weird – I mean, he totally must have junctioned a GF, right, otherwise you would have beat the crap out of him instantly. But there's nothing… no magic at all." Her frown deepened.

Squall knew what she was thinking. He felt uneasy too.

"Would you like to see Quistis?" Doctor Kadowaki asked.

He nodded. She was changing the subject, he knew, trying to dispel the tense atmosphere. But the doctor was right… he ought to check on her.

He left the ward and headed for the next room, followed by Doctor Kadowaki. He had avoided coming in here first, afraid of what he might see. Irvine looked up as he approached. He was sitting next to the bed, holding the patient's hand. Strips of light filtered through the blinds on the window. The doctor turned to check the medical equipment which was keeping Quistis alive.

"How is she?" Squall asked in a hollow voice.

"Stable," Doctor Kadowaki replied. She didn't need to say anything more.

Squall came forward and knelt down next to Irvine. He looked into Quistis' pallid face. She was so white he might have thought she was already dead except for the steady beeping of the heart monitor. The covers had been drawn right up to her neck, so he couldn't see the bandages underneath. Only one pale arm rested on top of the blanket, a drip attached to it.

"I wonder if she's dreaming," Irvine murmured.

_Dreaming?_ It was hard to imagine; she looked so cold, so lifeless. "Maybe," he said.

"She's getting more sleep than I am anyway."

"Let's hope it's not permanent."

Irvine looked at him and he knew at once that he had said the wrong thing. He was supposed to joke, to make light of it, or at least offer some encouragement. He had never been very good at that. Squall sighed and got up.

"Going already?"

"I'm going to check on the prisoner."

Irvine nodded and Squall left. He thought of all their faces. They were all dull-eyed with fatigue. He felt that way himself; heavy and tired and not at all up to…

"Hey! Squall!"

…dealing with Seifer.

"What now?" Squall muttered as Seifer ran up to him. He was still wearing the sling on his arm; it had taken an extra knock last night. Doctor Kadowaki had mended it again. Seifer's eyes were shadowed too, he noticed, but apart from that he looked a lot healthier than the others.

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business."

"What ya going to do with those prisoners, eh? Execute them?"

"This has nothing to do with you," Squall said irritably.

"If it wasn't for me delaying them, Rinoa might already be dead."

"Go away, Seifer."

Seifer smirked. "Remember when you used to take orders from me? 'I stand by the captain's decision.' Those were the days… you would have got down on all fours for me, ain't that right?"

Squall folded his arms. "I said go away. That's an order."

"Have you been to see our dear ex-instructor? That's where I'm going now. Is she dead yet? I wouldn't want to waste my time…"

"She's still alive."

"Oh, and is that guy still there? The one who almost killed Rinoa and beat you?"

"He didn't beat me," Squall snapped, and then bit his lip, knowing that Seifer had been trying to goad him into lashing out.

"You sure? I thought Irvine had to take him out for you."

"Whatever," he muttered, turning away. He started walking and to his relief, Seifer didn't follow him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Seifer was indeed heading towards the infirmary. At least that got him out of the way…

* * *

Cloud opened his eyes groggily. His shoulder ached and he felt tired all over as though he had just been through a gruelling battle. He turned his head, wondering if Tifa had got up yet, but found himself staring at the wall. That wasn't right… In fact, the whole bed felt unfamiliar, the sheets crisp and smooth, and light shone into his face from the wrong angle.

Then he remembered. This place wasn't even his world; he had been trying to kill someone and he had failed. _Oh, no… Tifa!_ He sat up, ignoring the fresh aches which shot through his muscles at the sudden movement, and looked around for his sword.

"He's awake!"

A girl had been sitting at the side of the bed, watching him, and now she sprang up. She looked familiar.

"Irvine!" the girl called. "Over here!"

Cloud started pushing back the covers, intending to get up. Someone had removed his armour, his cloak and his boots. His sword was missing too. But he froze as a man appeared in the doorway, holding a gun the muzzle of which was pointed straight at him.

The girl looked at him, her green eyes hard and cold. "Don't you dare try to bust your way out of here," she spat.

Irvine waved his hand. "C'mon, Selphie, the guy's been shot. I'm surprised he's even awake." He addressed Cloud. "Can you get up?"

Cloud nodded, touching his shoulder which had been bandaged. The bullet must have passed straight through him. Already he knew the wound was almost healed. It would take a lot more than that to kill a man who had been pumped full of Mako and Jenova cells.

"Right," said Selphie, "you're coming with us."

They made him stand up, tied his hands behind his back and escorted him at gunpoint out of the room. Another man emerged from the room next to his and blocked the way out of the infirmary. Cloud recognised him: Seifer.

"Need some help?" Seifer asked.

"We've got it covered," said Irvine.

"Where are you taking him?"

"Excuse _me_," said Selphie. "This is business for SeeDs, not students."

Seifer bristled. "Excluding me from your little gang, are you? Ain't that nice." He stepped up to Cloud, who found himself looking up at the tall blond student. "You don't look so tough now, silent boy. I wonder how silent you'll be once they start the torture." He laughed unpleasantly. Cloud scowled at him. He hated how helpless he felt in this situation; it had been a long time since he had been at the mercy of his enemies like this.

"Get out of the way, Seifer!" said Selphie, tapping her foot impatiently.

Seifer made an ironic bow. "After you."

He let them go past: Selphie in the lead, looking back every few seconds, Cloud shuffling after her and Irvine last, his gun still pointed at the back of Cloud's head.

Cloud looked around as they trudged across the main walkway. It was the first time he had seen the place in daylight. A few students dressed in blue uniforms stopped and stared as he went past. Cloud ignored them. He felt heavy, heavy with the weight of failure. _I didn't do it. My nerve failed. It's… all my fault._

They took him up an elevator. He slumped against the wall, avoiding the accusing eyes of his captors. Another corridor, a left turn and–

"Squall!" said Selphie. "Do you want to start the interrogation?"

Squall was standing outside a plain metal door with his arms folded. He was dressed in black, with an array of belts crossing his waist. His jacket was adorned with a white fur collar. His posture was hunched, brooding, but at Selphie's words he looked up and a spasm of hatred passed over his face.

"Yes," he said. "We'll start at once."

He opened the door and Cloud was dragged inside. The room was a cell, completely bare; not even a window. A naked light bulb hung from the ceiling. Cloud barely had time to take this in before someone shoved him, hard. He stumbled into the wall. Unable to lift his hands to protect himself, he instead twisted sideways so his shoulder took the brunt of the collision. He turned and Squall was right there – he grabbed Cloud by the neck and slammed him back up against the wall. Behind them, Selphie and Irvine watched and waited.

"I want you to tell me who you are and why you tried to kill Rinoa," Squall spat.

Cloud was having difficulty breathing, but he managed to choke out an answer. "Let go of me."

Squall stared at him for a moment but then relented. He released Cloud and stepped back.

"You'd better start talking."

It took Cloud a couple of seconds to get his breath back. He didn't know what to do. There was a part of him that wanted to give up – he had already failed the mission, failed Tifa, failed himself. He was weak and these SeeDs were strong. They were angry and rightfully so. But Cloud quickly pushed these thoughts away. As long as he was alive and Tifa was alive, there still might be a chance. And where was Yuffie? He needed to find out.

So Cloud opened his mouth and panted out, "Go to hell."

Squall's eyes flickered with something Cloud couldn't quite interpret – was it surprise? Recognition? But his expression quickly hardened again.

"I can make your death slow and painful," he said. "I can draw it out… make you suffer for what you did to my friends."

"So kill me," said Cloud. "You won't learn anything that way."

Squall's hand went to the handle of his sword, but he paused, as if considering. "Did you do this yourself?" he asked. "Or were you paid?"

Cloud didn't answer.

"Who are you working for?"

No answer.

"Who are you?"

Again, Cloud remained stubbornly silent.

Squall's expression, which up until now had been so calm on the surface, suddenly twisted as his temper rose. He drew his sword and struck at Cloud. Sparks flew from the wall as Cloud ducked. He veered towards the other wall, evading another strike, but found himself backed into a corner. His shoulders were straining. They sent shooting pains down his back. But Cloud didn't let the discomfort show on his face. Instead he looked at Squall, along the pale blue light of the blade pointed at his neck and into the eyes of his adversary. He scowled.

"I'm not saying a word until you take me to Yuffie. I want to know if she's safe!"

"Yuffie…" Squall glanced back at Selphie.

"I've got the little bitch locked up," said Selphie viciously. "Let me interrogate her, won't you, Squall? She's gonna be sorry she ever messed with me!"

Squall stepped back. "All right." He narrowed his eyes at Cloud. "If you really cared about your accomplice, you would have co-operated. But if you won't talk, she will."

The three of them started backing away, Irvine still making sure he had his gun trained on Cloud right until he edged through the doorway. Cloud didn't move. He just watched them as one by one they disappeared and then the door slammed shut. He didn't need to hear the click to know that they would lock it.

_Yuffie… What are they going to do to you?_

Hope withered away. He bowed his head.

* * *

The floor was so hard Yuffie had barely slept at all and she was sure her backside was permanently bruised. She was cold and hungry and the only thing she'd talked to in the past few hours was the wall. It did not sympathise with her predicament.

"This is no way to treat a girl!" Yuffie called out. The wall stared blankly back at her. She wriggled, trying to get comfortable, but any way she sat seemed to disagree with some part of her body. She wanted to run at the door and kick it as hard she could, but the manacle prevented her from doing that.

"And isn't there anywhere I can go to the toilet?" she added. "I'm dyin' here!"

This place was so miserable. It was the most boring cell imaginable: a bare, blank box. The only good thing was that someone must have magically cured her before throwing her in here; the bruise she had been expecting on her forehead where Selphie had hit her simply wasn't there.

And the reason she was thinking all this was… Well, it was easier to dwell on her own discomfort. That way she didn't have to think about Cloud. Or worry that he might be dead. Or reflect that she'd failed her mission. Or think about the very real possibility that they might never get home; they might die here, in this horrible, other world.

"Freaking stick-in-the-butt losers!" said Yuffie. Again the wall did not respond, but somehow she felt that it was reprimanding her, in its silent, off-white way. _I'm going mad_, she thought. _I'm finally joining the ranks of the insane. So now I know how Cloud used to feel…_

The door of the cell opened and at first she thought she must be seeing things. She realised her mistake at once; the people storming inside were very real and very familiar.

Selphie stalked right up to her, holding Yuffie's own knife in her hand. She yanked Yuffie to her feet and brandished the knife.

"You'd better start talking, you backstabbing bitch," she snarled. "We want to know who you are and why you're here."

Yuffie looked over the girl's shoulder. Irvine and Squall were both standing next to the exit. Irvine for some reason looked deeply uncomfortable, while Squall's expression was unreadable.

"Oh, I can talk," said Yuffie. "Those questions are easy to answer. I'm Yuffie Kisaragi and I'm here because you locked me in here."

Selphie lifted up a lock of her brown hair, revealing her bandaged ear. "See what you did to me, Yuffie? Tell us the truth, or I'll do the same to you. No – wait – I'll cut off _both_ your ears... and then I'll break your fingers, one by one, and then your toes and then I'll shred off your skin and gouge out your eyes-"

"Please, don't," Yuffie squeaked, her defiance evaporating in a second. The manic gleam in Selphie's eyes frightened her. There was something indescribably horrible about hearing these threats from a sweet-voiced girl. "I told you, I was forced to do it."

"You weren't forced to cut off my ear."

"But I didn't kill you!" Yuffie cried. "Remember that! I liked you; I didn't want to hurt you – I could have cut your throat but I didn't, I let you go!"

Selphie stared at her very hard for a moment. When she spoke next, her voice was icy cold. "You betrayed us all. And because of you, Quistis is in a coma. And Rinoa was almost killed. Do you know what happens when someone hurts my friends, huh?"

Yuffie gulped. She was watching the blade in Selphie's right hand. The girl was shaking and that knife teetered ever closer to her. She backed up against the wall.

"I get really MAD!"

Yuffie squeezed her eyes shut, her heart thumping madly. Selphie's snarling was terrifying; her face looked wild, feral. She didn't want to see that. She expected to feel the cold metal of the knife slice into her flesh, but nothing happened. Instead, a breath of air stirred between them and she heard footsteps. She opened her eyes; Selphie was being dragged away by Irvine.

"Easy, Sefie, easy," he said, almost as if he was calming an animal.

"I'll take over," said Squall, stepping forward.

"Come on, Squall," Selphie pleaded. She elbowed Irvine, who let her go, wincing. "At least let me have my revenge…"

Squall glanced back at her. Then he addressed Yuffie. "If we keep her away from you, will you promise to talk?"

"I'll talk," said Yuffie quickly. "I'll talk and talk and gabble on and on, gawd, you'll be sick of hearing my voice by the end of it, honest, just don't let her do any of those horrible things to me, I don't deserve it; well, maybe I do deserve some of it, but-"

"Quiet," said Squall.

She shut up.

"Selphie, Irvine, you can leave," said Squall, without turning around.

"Are you sure?" Irvine asked.

"Yes."

He shrugged. "Okay. We'll wait outside."

The fear she had felt when Selphie screamed at her faded away when the girl left. Now other emotions came flooding back: indignation, anger… anxiety. Yuffie bit her lip and tried to calm herself, think of something else. She folded her arms and stared at Squall as the cell door shut behind him. He looked handsome, she thought, dressed in black. Altogether too dark for her tastes though; he was all brooding and serious. She couldn't imagine him ever cracking a joke. Not that this was really the appropriate situation.

"You let your accomplice into Balamb Garden?" Squall asked.

"Yeah."

"Who is he?"

"His name's Cloud Strife – hey, he is still alive, isn't he? You didn't kill him? Is he all right?"

Squall ignored her questions. "What have you got against Rinoa?"

"We haven't got anything against her. But what about Cloud? Is he all right? Can I see him?"

"No. Why did you attack her?"

"I didn't attack her."

Squall gritted his teeth. She could tell she was annoying him and it gave her a kind of vindictive satisfaction. But that wasn't helping. She had to think of a way to get them all out of this alive.

"You said you were forced into this," said Squall at last. "Explain what you mean."

Yuffie's heart hammered. How much should she tell him? What would Cloud want her to say? How she wished he was here to guide her! She opened her mouth.

* * *

He stirred, nose twitching.

"Red?"

With his one good eye, he saw Vincent peering down at him. The ground felt hard and cold beneath his body. His nose twitched again – he breathed in a metallic, chemical stench and sneezed.

"Are you all right?" Vincent asked.

He tried to get up but his limbs felt weak and shaky. He collapsed back on his side, panting.

"I feel sick."

Vincent sat cross-legged next to him, his clawed hand resting on his lap. "I do too," he admitted.

Now that Vincent had moved out of his way, Nanaki observed his surroundings. They were on a raised dais overlooking a large, dark room. In the gloom, he picked out the gleaming lines of some kind of machines and he also recognised a number of computer screens.

"Where are we?"

"We're in a laboratory."

They looked at each other. Vincent kept his expression guarded, but he pulled his tattered cloak tighter around himself.

Nanaki swallowed. "I don't like laboratories."

"Neither do I. I think we ought to leave, if you're able to."

"I'll try." He had a horrible taste in his mouth and he felt like a newborn cub just starting to walk. He got up unsteadily and turned about, trying not to get dizzy. The light on his tail flickered, dancing off the metal surfaces of the machines and reflected in the black computer screens. Behind him was an arch and it made his fur prickle just to look at it.

He heard a faint whistling sound. Vincent must have heard it too because he stood up and drew his three-barrelled gun out of its holster.

"Get behind me," he hissed. "I think someone's coming."

Nanaki obeyed, crouching behind Vincent's legs, the cloak fluttering above him. His muscles tensed. Then he blinked as all at once a brilliant light filled the laboratory. He heard the click as Vincent removed the gun's safety catch. Footsteps… the whistling stopped… he squinted, and as his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw a man standing by one of the computers. The man had stopped mid step. His expression was one of complete shock.

"Oh, my…" The man wore a white lab coat and his thinning brown hair was neatly combed. His face was pallid with fear.

Vincent stepped forward, still holding the gun. The scientist's eyes flicked to Nanaki for the first time and he gasped.

"S-security!"

"No!" said Vincent, but the man had already pressed a button on a panel next to him. Immediately a siren wailed and the room filled with red flashing light. The noise pierced through Nanaki's ears, making him shudder, and the flashing light made him feel sick and dizzy.

Vincent glanced down at him. The red light cast an odd tint across his face; for a moment, Nanaki thought he was covered in blood.

"I'm all right," said Nanaki, though he didn't feel all right at all.

Vincent nodded and the two of them sprang off the dais. The scientist had ducked behind one of the panels. They ignored him. Nanaki followed his companion, hoping that Vincent knew where he was going because he had no idea; he felt confused and disoriented. He caught a flicker of movement at the corner of his eye; he glanced across but there was no need to warn Vincent; a loud crack and the guard crumpled. The door behind him swung on its hinges.

They headed for the exit. Nanaki leapt over the guard's body and into the corridor beyond.

"What about the scientist?" he asked, as Vincent looked around, unsure which way to go.

Vincent calmly shot another guard running up behind Nanaki before answering. "Shall we ask him for the way out?"

"I'll go," said Nanaki. "You hold them off." He jumped back over the guard's body, trying to ignore the sickness in his own stomach. He had no trouble finding the scientist; the strong stench of fear led Nanaki right to him. He was bent over a computer screen, typing furiously.

"Don't understand," the scientist muttered. Nanaki pricked his ears as he crept up to him, his tail lashing from side to side. "Portal… activated itself. Too much… residual energy?" He pulled a mobile phone from the pocket of his lab coat and started pressing buttons, his fingers trembling.

Nanaki pounced.

The scientist yelled in fright. The phone flew out of his hands. Nanaki pressed his forepaws upon the man's chest and snarled an inch away from his face.

"We'd like you to show us to the exit, please," he said pleasantly.

Sweat beads dripped from the scientist's face. "T-talking animal," he muttered. "N-not normal. Subject possibly hallucinating." And with a sigh, he fainted.

_Useless_, Nanaki thought. He left the man on the floor and returned to Vincent. The stench of blood was in the air; Vincent had shot several more guards.

"I'm sorry," he said, while Vincent crouched down to reload his gun. "The man fainted. We'll have to find the way ourselves."

Vincent nodded. "Do you think this is where Cloud and the others ended up? Could you follow them?"

Nanaki understood. "I'll try," he said. He sniffed the air. Any trail of his friends would be lost under the more recent scents of blood and metal and chemicals and the people who worked here. But Cloud had always been easy to track; his Mako stench was uniquely strong. Sometimes Nanaki might be confused by other traces of Mako, but there were none here. He detected only one sharp trail. It was almost too easy.

"Follow me."

Nanaki ran ahead, and down a set of stairs to a place that was cold and dark. He trusted Vincent to watch his back and cover for them both. They emerged into what appeared to be an underground station; he smelled the oil and metal. He padded up to the empty railway tracks. Tiny lights embedded in the walls showed him that this was a tunnel. Cloud's trail ended here.

"He must have caught a train," Nanaki explained. "They could have gone anywhere."

"We won't find out where until we go into the open."

"So what do you propose? Follow the tunnel?"

Vincent shrugged. "What else? I wonder where we've been transported to…"

"I don't know," said Nanaki uneasily. "The air feels different here. It doesn't feel right. It's as though my body is sick because we shouldn't be here."

Vincent didn't reply. Nanaki shivered. The silence and the darkness seemed to press in around him; neither the sirens nor the guards had followed them down here. It was like a different world. He hesitated at the edge of the tracks but he took one look at Vincent and by a silent consensus both jumped down and moved into the tunnel.

* * *

"Irvine, you take Yuffie. Selphie, tell Xu and Nida to come. You've got ten minutes."

Irvine nodded and took Yuffie's arm. His stride was deceptively relaxed, but he still held his gun and Squall knew he was ready to react at once if Yuffie tried anything. Selphie, however, remained where she was.

"What about Rinoa?" she asked.

Squall looked down at the ground. "We should leave her out of this."

"But you talked to her, right? She might-"

"I don't want her anywhere near that assassin," he snapped. He still didn't trust either of them. Yuffie's tongue was far too loose in his opinion and Cloud refused to speak. She was a liar and he had guilt written all over his face. Yuffie's story had been full of holes – she had evaded his questions about where she and Cloud came from, and she was unclear about how Kelling had gotten hold of them. One way or another, he was going to find out the truth.

Selphie shrugged. "All right, Squall. I'm off."

She jogged away and Squall found himself hoping that she didn't intend to catch up with Irvine and Yuffie. He didn't relish the prospect of having them all gathered together in a room. Someone had to be the rational one, but right now he didn't feel like acting the part of the level-headed leader. He wanted to go into Cloud's cell and cut the bastard's head off for trying to hurt Rinoa. But he had to act in the best interests of everyone. If it was really the Galbadians who were behind this, Cloud was no more than a stooge and he had vital information.

So he took a deep breath and opened the door of Cloud's cell. The assassin was slumped against the wall. It looked as though he hadn't moved since Squall last saw him.

"Get up," said Squall. "We need to talk, all of us."


	13. Interrogation

**13**

** Interrogation**

The atmosphere in the classroom was tense and unpleasant. Squall leaned against the desk at the front with his arms folded. On his left were Irvine and Selphie. Nida guarded the door. Xu stood on his right. She was the only one who appeared to have a true sense of calm.

Cloud and Yuffie faced them, standing together.

When he'd first brought Cloud in, Yuffie had let out a shriek of delight and bounded up to him. She ignored everyone else and instead pulled him towards the back of the classroom. She also untied his hands without being prompted to do so, but beyond that the two assassins had been strikingly well behaved.

As Squall watched, Yuffie started whispering to Cloud again. He responded to her chatter with little more than an occasional nod or a shake of his head, almost as if he were humouring a younger sibling.

"Squall."

He turned. Xu had addressed him.

"Doctor Kadowaki has some information for you. She ran a few tests on the intruder while he was asleep. And what she found was very unusual – he has some unknown substance in his blood."

Squall frowned. "Drugs?"

"If so, it's not one we've ever encountered before."

Well, that was one more thing to add to his list of things to find out. He turned back to the assassins, who had stopped talking.

Cloud's eyes were downcast and Yuffie was twiddling with her hair. Both of them looked up when Squall spoke.

"I want everyone here to hear your story firsthand. This is your only chance to explain yourselves, both of you."

Cloud and Yuffie looked at each other.

"You told him?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah." She gave a rueful shrug. "I'm sorry, Cloud, I didn't know what else to do. But I figured we might have a better chance if these guys are on our side."

He closed his eyes. "Go on. Try."

So Yuffie explained to everyone in the room what had happened. She told them of the mission Kelling had given them, and how he had blackmailed them into accepting it by denying them a way back home and imprisoning one of their friends.

At this, Irvine's eyes flickered. "Prison? Do you think that's the D-District prison in Galbadia?"

Squall silenced him by raising his hand but Yuffie's voice suddenly got a lot more excited.

"If you know where she is, we can rescue her! That's all we want – a way home. You'll help us, right?" She gazed at their hostile faces and her smile faded slightly. "Selphie? You'd want to help a friend, right?"

Selphie didn't answer.

"Irvine? You can't just let an innocent girl rot in prison – you'd want to rescue her, right?"

Irvine adjusted his cowboy hat. "Is she cute?"

This statement provoked a response from both Selphie and Cloud. Selphie groaned, snatched the cowboy hat and thwacked Irvine over the head with it. Cloud frowned and said, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Shh," Yuffie said, whispering in his ear. "Just go with the flow. I'm trying to work things out here." She raised her voice to address them again. "Squall, you're in charge of all these guys, right? Not that I'm sayin' you're hypocritical or anything, but you guys don't even need to be blackmailed to kill people, do you? You do it for money. So excuse me if I think you ought to cut us some slack here…"

Squall frowned, glancing at his friends. Irvine looked troubled at this, but Selphie stepped forward, her face indignant. "Slack? _Slack_? Do I have to remind you who put one of my friends in hospital?"

"She attacked me," said Cloud quietly.

"_You_ attacked Rinoa!"

"It's not like we had a choice," said Yuffie.

"Oh, yeah? And it's not like you've got something to hide either – you guys didn't just appear out of nowhere! Where do you come from?"

Yuffie swallowed. "It doesn't matter."

"Oh!" Selphie pointed her finger at Yuffie. "So you _are_ hiding something! Spill!"

"Selphie." Squall raised his hand and Selphie quietened down, though she still kept throwing glares at Cloud and Yuffie. He fixed his eyes on the assassins. "She's right. There are a lot of things you haven't explained. Where do you come from? What do you do for a living?"

"How did you break into Garden?" Xu added.

"Whoa, whoa," said Yuffie. "One question at a time, okay? As for getting him into Garden, that was easy. I was there to help Cloud – he came in through the training centre."

"Through the training centre?" Squall repeated. "How?"

"I climbed and jumped my way up to the balcony," said Cloud.

The SeeDs stared at him.

"Dude, that's impossible," said Irvine at last.

Cloud shrugged. "That's what I did."

His voice had the ring of truth about it. And despite himself, Squall had no difficulty believing this particular piece of information. There was something strange about Cloud, from his abnormal strength, to the way his injury had healed so fast, and the unknown substance in his blood. _Is this a man_, he thought, _or a monster?_

His fingers slipped towards the hilt of his gunblade which he had sheathed for the moment. "What are you?" he asked. "Your rate of recovery was off the scale, and now you're telling us you can leap impossible distances to get into Balamb Garden."

Cloud looked down. "It's not my fault," he mumbled.

Selphie stared at him. "Your eyes are weird..."

Yuffie's hand curled around Cloud's arm. "There's nothing wrong with him," she said defensively. "It – well – you're not gonna believe us anyway."

"Believe what?" said Squall at once. He sensed his companions tense next to him; perhaps they were finally going to get the truth at last – or perhaps the assassins had concocted more lies.

"Well, Cloud – he's a bit… different, 'cause in our world there's this stuff called Mako, see, and-"

Selphie's eyes widened. "He's an _alien_?"

"No, I'm not," said Cloud, whose face had paled at the accusation. "Whatever the Mako did to me, I'm still human."

"Yeah," said Yuffie eagerly, "I mean, okay, he can carry this huge sword and jump like twenty feet in the air and he does have the freaky glowing eyes, but he's a good guy, honestly, and he's not screwed up any more, he's just like you and me. Kinda."

Selphie snorted. Squall was getting a very uneasy feeling about all this, but before he could ask more questions, Cloud spoke.

"Yuffie, could you show them the materia?"

Yuffie jumped up at once. "Oh – yeah – good idea! But I tried to use it before and it didn't work!"

Cloud frowned at her. "Let me try."

"What's this?" Squall asked sharply.

"Materia," Yuffie said.

"It's something from our world," said Cloud. "Yuffie has a couple slotted into her shuriken."

"We'll show you," said Yuffie. "Bring us my materia. That'll prove it – we aren't from this world. When Kelling kidnapped us, he transported us through a portal, from our world into this one."

She finished speaking and there was ringing silence.

Then Irvine said what Squall felt sure the rest of them were thinking.

"What is this bullshit?"

"It's true!" Yuffie cried, stamping her foot to emphasise her point. "Why'd you think I didn't say anything before? I knew you wouldn't believe us – I mean, I still find it hard to believe, but… um…" She paused. "Anyway, it's the truth and we can prove it!"

Squall frowned again. He looked at Xu, hoping for guidance. But she only shrugged. He had no idea what to think either. This story of another world was so outlandish, it seemed foolish for them to make it up. He didn't know what they were up to – what if this materia was some kind of weapon the assassins intended to use against them in order to escape?

Cloud noticed that he was hesitating. "Do you want proof or not?" he asked, his voice hard.

"I'd sure like to see them prove any of this crap," Selphie muttered.

"It can't hurt, I guess," said Irvine, glancing at Squall.

"But this might be a trap," Squall murmured, just loudly enough for Irvine and Xu to catch what he was saying.

"Oh – yeah…" said Irvine uneasily. "But I'm sure we can handle it. This might be the only way we find out."

_Maybe he's right_, Squall thought. He addressed Nida, who had been watching the proceedings from the doorway in silence. "Fetch Yuffie's weapon for us. Make sure it's safe."

Nida nodded and left. He knew what Squall meant. If there were any explosives or magical items attached to the shuriken, Nida would disable them. Now they had to wait.

Squall sighed and clutched his head. Sooner or later he felt that someone was going to lose control. He had to sort this out as soon as possible.

"Just wait," he said to the assassins. "I want to consult with my colleagues."

"Okay," said Yuffie, as though giving him permission. She turned to speak to Cloud and Squall's eyes flicked over to Xu for a moment. She nodded, understanding. Xu would keep an eye on Cloud and Yuffie while they were discussing this.

Irvine and Selphie gathered around Squall, eager to speak.

Selphie jumped in first. "She's lying! They're making all this stuff up about another world because they don't want us to know where they really come from. What's this materia stuff anyway? It totally doesn't make sense."

Squall considered this. "We have to follow the proper regulations," he began. "Xu, doesn't part seven, section seven, cover this?"

Xu nodded, though her eyes didn't move away from the assassins. "In part. Clause twenty-four b states that-"

"Wait, wait," said Irvine. "You're going to decide on this based on a _clause_? Are you serious?"

"The Garden regulations exist for a reason," Squall reminded him.

"And your fiancée nearly died. Can't you follow your heart for once?"

Needled, Squall didn't know what to say. _What else am I supposed to do? I don't know how to deal with this… since when did two people ever appear from another world anyway? Since when did other worlds exist?_

"As Yuffie is technically a Garden student, she has broken the rules very seriously, both by sneaking a non-student into the dormitories and by attacking her fellow students," said Xu. "But I don't think any of us need to look at the rulebook to know that. The point is, Squall, if they are telling the truth, a very real threat to Rinoa exists outside Garden. We need to speak to the Galbadian government."

"Yes," said Squall._ I'll have to speak to Caraway and Laguna, find out what they know about all this. _"But first we have to deal with them," he said out loud, indicating Cloud and Yuffie.

"Do what with them?" Irvine asked. "I mean, I know they've done terrible things, but man, killing them seems kinda harsh if they were really forced into this."

"That's what we have to find out," said Xu. "The truth. We'll see what they have to say when Nida gets back."

"It's your choice, Squall," said Selphie. She smiled at him, though her eyes were a little watery. "We'll follow your orders."

_Why me? Why do I always have to decide?_ He hated this, he really did. Sometimes he didn't think he was cut out to be a leader. He just got forced into it, like now, when a group of people were all expecting him to make the right decision. All watching him expectantly. He turned around and saw that Cloud and Yuffie were staring at him too. Cloud's strange eyes unsettled him; they made his skin prickle.

Nida returned quickly, to his relief. He gripped Yuffie's shuriken in one hand and something small and round was enclosed in the other. He held it up for them to see.

"I've checked and it all seems to be in order, sir," said Nida, though he sounded unsure.

Yuffie's eyes lit up at the sight of the materia. "Gimme," she said.

Nida walked across to her and handed it over. Squall's stomach dropped; he wasn't at all certain this was a good idea. His hand tightened again on the handle of his gunblade.

Irvine stared at it. "A shiny marble? Are you serious?"

"It's _materia_," said Yuffie, looking highly offended. "Just watch."

She gave the green orb to Cloud, who squeezed it tightly in his hand. Sweat beads appeared on his face, but a moment later a green aura flared around him and a tiny flicker of flame appeared in the air. Instantly, all the SeeDs drew their weapons, ready to defend themselves against this magic. But the flame died and Cloud stepped back, frowning.

"That was really difficult," he said. "As though the connection was shaky or something…"

But Yuffie looked triumphant. "There ya go," she said. "Proof enough for ya?"

"Give me the materia," said Squall. Cloud tossed it to him with a contemptuous look.

Squall examined the materia carefully. It looked like a big marble; Irvine hadn't been kidding about that. It felt cool and smooth to the touch, like polished marble. The surface glimmered – but where was the magic? He detected none, even as his mind strayed to the place occupied by Quezacotl. The GF should know; it should be able to draw out the spell, but although his defences had flared up a minute before when Cloud had cast the spell, the GF simply wasn't reacting now. He wondered, _is this proof? I've never seen magic like this before… does that really mean it came from another world? And does that back up their story?_ Again, he wasn't sure. So much hinged on whether he believed them. Making the wrong decision could cost innocent lives.

* * *

Yuffie observed Squall carefully. He was holding the materia, his fingers closed tightly over the orb's surface. He looked deep in thought. Had she convinced him? She hoped so.

"Are you done talking?" Cloud asked at last. "There are a lot of things we need to work out. You're either with us or against us. It's your decision."

Squall stirred and his eyes snapped back towards them. "So let me get this straight," he said. "You want us to help you?"

Yuffie nodded. "Just give us a chance. We have a common enemy now, yeah?"

"Kelling," Squall murmured. He pocketed the materia, sighed and rubbed his eyes. But his expression hardened. "I still don't trust you. This – materia – doesn't prove anything. I don't know where you got it, but that doesn't mean it came from another world. As far as I'm concerned, if you've been working for Kelling, then you've betrayed Garden and normal disciplinary procedure applies in this case."

"Normal disciplinary procedure?" Yuffie repeated. She restrained herself from rolling her eyes with great difficulty. _What a jerk._

"Yes," Squall snapped. "So far you've tried to murder Rinoa, killed a dog and put Quistis in a coma. I would be completely justified if I killed both of you right now."

"I'm sorry," Cloud muttered. She looked at him – and his expression was so despondent, somehow it made her feel even angrier.

"An apology isn't enough," said Squall harshly. "If you-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence because Yuffie lost it then. How dare he insult Cloud? The stupid, fop-haired prick! And Cloud wasn't even doing anything; he was just standing there. She bunched her hands into fists and screamed.

"You think you're so high and mighty, don't you, Mister Leader, but you know what – you're the ones without any morals! We were forced into trying to kill Rinoa, but you guys go round fighting and killing people for money! You're not any better than us – you're worse, much worse – you – you fucking _mercenary_!"

Squall looked as though he'd been slapped. He took several deep breaths. Yuffie had run out of steam; she slumped back against the desk, her face hot. She shot him the filthiest look she could manage.

Her outburst had shocked everyone; she could tell by their expressions. Cloud tensed next to her. She tasted a metallic tang in the air.

In the silence that followed, her phone rang.

Yuffie's heart jumped so fast, she felt as though it had not only leapt into her mouth, but straight out of it, and it was now bouncing its way across the room. She noticed the mobile phone for the first time, resting on the desk next to Squall. Obviously the SeeDs had brought it with them for some reason. Only one person could be calling.

"Oh, gawd," she said, "it's him. It's Kelling!"

_What do I do, what do I say, do I answer, what do I do, oh shit, oh gawd, what do I do what do I do what do I do?_

The jingle of the ring tone grew more insistent. Squall picked it up and looked as though he was about to take the call.

"Let Yuffie answer it," said Cloud.

"What?" said Yuffie.

"Answer it. You can make something up. I trust you." He turned back to Squall. "We can't let Kelling know the truth about what happened. Yuffie's the only one who can take the call."

"Fine," said Squall. "But make sure everyone hears." He tossed the phone to Yuffie, who caught it. The other SeeDs looked as though they were about to talk. Yuffie made frantic hand gestures at them.

"Shut up, shut up! Everyone be quiet."

She pressed the button to take the call. _Oh gawd, what do I say, _Cloud_ said he trusted me, what if I let him down, what do I say, oh–_

"Yuffie?" The voice was sharp, but unmistakeable.

"Kelling," said Yuffie, suppressing a bout of nervous laughter. It occurred to her that Squall wanted her to put the phone on loudspeaker and let Kelling spill his secrets for everyone to hear. But which button to press?

"Where are you and why haven't you returned? Report, now."

Yuffie attempted to hold the phone to her ear and search for the speaker function at the same time. "Yeah, okay, sure, I'm in Balamb Garden, in, uh, my dormitory. Yeah, you kinda woke me up, sorry."

His voice held a bite of impatience. "What happened?"

"With the mission? It… um…" Her mind worked furiously. In front of her, Selphie coughed. Alarmed, Yuffie put her finger to her lips, glaring at the other girl. But so far everybody was obeying her; they were listening in rapt silence. She couldn't find the right button and she was afraid of cutting Kelling off accidentally.

"_What happened?_"

"We… kind of failed."

A heavy silence followed. Then: "You failed." The statement was flat, but it sent Yuffie into even more panic.

"Ah, no, wait! Don't do anything to Tifa! We failed this time, but there's still time, right, they don't suspect me – I can try again!" Her eyes fell on Squall. His mouth was getting thinner and thinner. She suppressed another nervous giggle. _Oh, hell. If only I had my own phone instead of this primitive piece of junk. Maybe I can at least turn the volume up?_ But Kelling kept distracting her with his questions.

"What about Cloud?"

"Cloud's… dead."

Cloud twitched next to her. She winced. _Crap, what did I say that for? Okay, better sound upset._

"Dead?"

She made her lip quiver and put a sob into her voice. "Yeah… I should've called, but I was too upset… they hacked him to pieces… I should've been there to help him, but he told me not to, that's why I'm still alive. Please." She hiccupped. "I've already lost one friend. Give me another chance and then just let me and Tifa go home, okay?"

There was a pause. Yuffie's eyes flickered upwards and she saw all the SeeDs staring at her. Irvine was making a complicated hand gesture. He held out the palm of his hand, jabbed his finger at the top corner and pointed upwards. She watched, uncomprehending. He repeated the gesture again and she shrugged her shoulders. _What?_ she mouthed.

"I hope for your sake that you're telling the truth," said Kelling at last.

Irvine got up and walked straight over to her. While he quickly took the phone and pressed a few buttons, she raised her voice to answer, leaning as close to the mouthpiece as possible without getting in his way, and hoping that Kelling wouldn't notice the difference.

"Do you think I'd lie about something like this? Do you have any idea how Tifa's gonna feel when she hears?" She wondered if this would elicit any kind of sympathetic response from him. Did he have a heart underneath that suit he wore?

All at once, Kelling's voice emitted from the receiver, just loud enough for them all to hear. His voice crackled. The SeeDs all moved forward and Irvine gave them a thumbs up.

"If you fail again, I'll make sure to tell her and find out before we kill her."

_Nope. Bastard._

She took the phone again. Time to trick Kelling into giving himself away. "All right, all right, I get the message! What do I do now?"

"Considering that Cloud is now unable to help you, you will have to kill Rinoa yourself. Can you do that?"

There was a soft intake of breath all around her. Yuffie smirked. But she had to hide her gleefulness. "Um, I guess." She glanced at Squall. His expression was hard.

"I have another order for you first."

"What?"

"I want you to report back to the house."

"Hey, we had a deal! One mission only!"

Kelling's voice sounded as though he had gritted his teeth. "The deal is still on. I want you to report back in person, sometime today, and then you can return to Balamb Garden. Can you do that?"

She looked at Cloud, and he gazed back, his blue eyes questioning. He nodded almost imperceptibly. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Squall shaking his head vehemently, but she sure as hell wasn't going to listen to him over Cloud.

"Yeah," she replied. "I can do that."

"Good. The guards will be watching for you. They'll know when you arrive."

"What-" She stopped. The line had gone dead. He'd cut her off, again. "See you soon, asshole," she muttered. She placed the mobile phone in her pocket and looked around. "So. _Now_ do you believe us?"

* * *

For perhaps a minute, there was silence. Almost unconsciously, the SeeDs had backed away from the assassins again, not wanting to be within striking distance. Squall knew that, like him, the others were considering what they had just heard. The sound quality hadn't been good, but Squall recognised Kelling's voice when he heard it. The assassins hadn't been lying about that part at least; they _were_ working for the Galbadian minister. So either they were telling the truth or this was a very, very clever trick.

Could he risk that they were telling the whole truth on this evidence alone? He frowned at Yuffie. She had disobeyed him when Kelling ordered her to return to the house.

"Why did you agree to return to the house?"

"What else could I do? If I'd said no, Kelling would have just threatened to hurt Tifa or something."

"How do we know that isn't just an excuse so you can run off back to your hidey hole?" Selphie accused them.

_She has a point_, Squall thought, as Cloud scowled and Yuffie opened her mouth indignantly, but he didn't give anyone a chance to say anything else. He had made his mind up. Until he and the others did a little investigating these two were still too suspicious to be allowed to wander freely – in or out of Garden. "You're not leaving," he said.

"But I have to!" said Yuffie. "I just said I would – Tifa's life is hanging by a thread here!"

"Kelling might be there," said Cloud. "He's the one we should be going after."

"We haven't agreed on anything yet," said Xu coolly. "Commander?"

_It's up to me, again. We're not getting anywhere… _

"Fine," he said. "I'll make you a deal. SeeD will investigate your claims further and if we're satisfied, then we'll go to D-District Prison to release this woman-"

"Tifa."

"In return, we'll let you live. You'll stay here and guards will watch over you at all times."

"But the phone call-" said Yuffie.

"If that's where Tifa is, I'm going to that prison whether you like it or not," said Cloud. Both of them looked angry and determined.

"I'm in charge here," he said, hating it even as he spoke the words. "If you attempt to break out, we will stop you."

"You're an even bigger asshole than I thought." Yuffie stared at him disdainfully.

_I don't care what you think. I care about Rinoa._

"Whatever." The word slipped out, automatically, like it always did. It was his way of feigning nonchalance, pretending that he didn't give a shit. He folded his arms, wishing he could just go back to his room and stay with Rinoa. But this had to be done. "I've made you an offer," he said. "It's the best you're going to get."

"But I have to go," said Yuffie.

Squall frowned. _Does she really think that by whining for long enough I'll do what she wants? No, I'm not playing into their hands._ He'd had enough.

"We'll discuss this later," he said abruptly. "Xu, Nida, escort them back to the Disciplinary Room."

"Yes, sir."

"Wait!" said Yuffie. "You've gotta-"

Cloud touched her shoulder. "Forget it," he said. "We'll figure something out."

He watched in silence as the four of them left. Irvine returned his gun to its holster. Selphie yawned and stretched, looking exhausted.

"Now what?" Irvine asked.

"Now we find out about this portal."

* * *

"What a jerk," Yuffie growled as the door slammed shut behind them.  
Cloud snorted. He leaned against the wall of the cell with his arms folded, thinking. He knew that even if the SeeDs had agreed to help them, they might not be able to save Tifa and get home. He wished he had his motorbike and his sword so he could zoom off and rescue her himself. _Like a knight on a white horse._

Yuffie nudged him. "Hey, were you gonna tell them – I mean, if I didn't?"

"I… don't know."

She stared at him. "You were giving up, weren't you, Cloud?"

"I…" He didn't know how to answer.

"You were, I can tell." She stamped her foot in frustration. "Why do you have to be so _useless_? You're not useless – you know that – but you still act like it! You can't just give up on Tifa! Give up on us." Her voice softened. "Give up on yourself." She fixed him with a steely glare. "Pull yourself together! We can do this. We can save Tifa and kick Kelling's ass and find our way back – yes, we can! And we will. So when the time comes, you'd better stand up and pick up that giant goddamn sword and get moving!"

_But…_ He didn't say it, but he was thinking it. He doubted all the time. Did real heroes do that? Weren't real heroes supposed to make their decisions with confidence, knowing their strength would always win out? Did heroes ever… fail?

_I couldn't stop my best friend dying. I couldn't stop _her_ dying. I couldn't even believe in myself because I didn't know who to believe in._

"You're right," he said, with an effort. "At least… we have to try."

"That's better, Cloud," said Yuffie, smiling. "Geez, no wonder Tifa gets so stressed, having to push your lazy ass around all the time."

"Yeah…" He thought of the SeeDs. It seemed as though they had tried and failed to convince the SeeDs to believe their story. He knew that Squall was having a hard time swallowing the fact that they were from another world. But somehow, with Yuffie here, he didn't think all hope was lost. At least he and Yuffie were still alive – there was still time. "We'll have to make them help us," he said. "We can't… I can't… do this alone."

"No-one ever said you had to do this alone, Cloud. You never do, and you never did. We all saved the Planet together; we're a team, remember? And we'll save Tifa together too."

"Yeah." He looked at Yuffie with newfound respect. Who would ever have thought that the impudent thief would become such a valuable ally? No, not ally. Friend. Yuffie was doing what all good friends did; she was supporting him and she knew when to encourage him and when to yell at him.

He smirked. "Teaming up with a dead guy will be pretty hard, though, won't it?"

She glared at him. "Oh, shut up. I had to say something."

They grinned at each other.

_Whatever happens, at least I'm not alone._

* * *

Caraway, as usual, turned out to be busy. Squall ignored the voicemail message and instead sent a high priority distress signal. The general couldn't ignore that.

But while they waited, he decided to contact Laguna. He had a direct line to the President – a line that only the two of them used. To his relief, Laguna answered at once. His face appeared on the vidscreen, hazy and blurred at first, but sharpening as the picture came into focus.

"Hey! You actually called me for once. I'm honoured." Laguna grinned.

"I have to tell you something," said Squall. The look on his face was so serious that Laguna sobered up at once.

"What is it?"

"Last night, two assassins broke into Garden and attempted to kill Rinoa."

Laguna's eyes widened. "No! You're kidding! Man, is she all right?"

"Yes. We managed to apprehend them before they could succeed in their mission. Quistis suffered serious injuries-"

"Quistis? Squall, I'm so sorry-"

He glared at Laguna. _Just let me finish, will you?_ The President took the hint.

"The assassins are working for a Galbadian official. They also claim to have arrived here from another world. They described waking up in a laboratory after being brought through a portal. Do you know if such technology exists?"

"Sounds like one of Odine's projects – but it was destroyed when the Galbadians attacked his lab." Laguna paused. "Squall, did you say it was a Galbadian official who employed the assassins?"

"Yes."

"Well, then maybe the portal wasn't destroyed at all. Maybe the Galbadians stole it during the attack."

Everything Squall knew about Odine's recent projects came from Selphie's report, and there had been no mention of a portal in it. Had Laguna been keeping this from him? "What do you know about this portal?"

"Nothing, really." Laguna scratched his head. "You know Odine – as long as you leave him be in the lab, he's happy. I just try and make sure he doesn't commit any atrocities in the name of science. I remember he was all excited about a breakthrough… something to do with other dimensions and portals. But he said he had a lot more investigation to do before it could work – and then the lab was destroyed."

Squall frowned. _So maybe they are telling the truth after all._

He drew out the materia and held it up so that Laguna could see it. "Have you seen anything like this before?"

Laguna squinted; Squall imagined that he was trying to make out the tiny image on the screen. "What is it – a magic stone?"

"It seems to be magical, but it's not like any stone I've ever seen."

"Nope, me neither." Laguna shrugged. "I bet Odine would like to get a look at it though."

_Odine… yes, he's an expert on all things magical. And if he knows something about portals…_ "Can you get Odine in touch with us?" he asked.

"Sure, he'd be delighted to know that his work may have survived after all. I'll have him report to me here as soon as possible, all right?"

"Good."

"I'm really sorry about what happened, Squall. Keep me informed, won't you? Esthar's behind you all the way."

Squall nodded. "I will. But I'd like to keep these events quiet."

"Gotcha. Sensitive information, right? Don't worry, I know how to handle this stuff."

"Good," said Squall again.

"See you then." Laguna smiled, his face crinkling and then the picture dissolved into static as Squall terminated the connection. He stared at the blank screen, absorbed in his own thoughts. _So there are other worlds. Other dimensions… whatever you want to call them. Well, maybe._

Xu brought him back to reality. "I have an idea, Squall. One of the SeeDs who died guarding the laboratory during the attack has a sister who resides here. She may have heard something. Would you like me to fetch her?"

"Good idea."

As soon as Xu left, Squall leaned back in his chair and passed his hands over his face. He was tired. And now, with the office empty and silent apart from the soft whirring of the computer and the clock ticking on the wall, he was left alone with his tangled thoughts. His eyes ached from staring at the bright screen; he swivelled his chair around and a flash of silver caught his eye.

Cloud's sword stood behind Lionheart but towered above it, silent and ominous even now. The blade gleamed in the light coming through the blinds. Its presence disturbed him. Squall hadn't let himself look at it when he'd come into his office earlier. But now, with nothing else to do, he couldn't look away.

Strangers from another world. Rinoa had almost been killed. Kelling, a member of the Galbadian government, had hired them.

_You guys don't even need to be blackmailed to kill people, do you? You do it for money._

But that was his job. There was no question of right or wrong; just two sides with different views. It didn't matter which side he ended up working for.

Did it?

_You're the ones without any morals!_

She couldn't take the moral high ground. Not the loud-mouthed spy who had wormed her treacherous way into Garden in order to get to Rinoa. It was ridiculous.

Squall pressed his knuckles into his forehead. So why was he thinking about it? Yuffie's words had gotten into his head and now they stayed there, clawing at his brain, sharp letters with digging points. She had it all wrong anyway. SeeDs were far more likely to take on protective missions; guarding others, killing monsters, that kind of thing. They didn't kill innocent people. Most of the time.

A crackling sensation surged through his spine. That was Quezacotl, reacting to his thoughts. Whenever he thought of killing or battles, the GF anticipated him, made his body ready.

_Maybe I am just a killing machine._ He looked at the sword again. _Just like him… _


	14. Strangers in a Strange Land

**14**

** Strangers in a Strange Land**

Rinoa sat alone in the cafeteria. She took a sip of water and shifted the food around on her plate without much enthusiasm. She hadn't come here because she was hungry, even though she hadn't eaten since the night before. Nor had she come to be stared at by the students, even though she knew that was inevitable. Instead, she was here to listen. She had to know if her secret was out.

"…tried to kill her…"

She heard the same conversation on everyone's lips. So far, it seemed her secret was safe. She hadn't heard a whisper of sorceresses or arcane magic. But as she picked up the glass of water again, her hands shook.

"…blood all over the hallway…"

From half-whispered conversations on the table next to hers, to excited snatches of gossip from students walking past, Rinoa built up a picture of what the Garden residents knew about recent events.

"A man – an intruder-"

Fear welled up inside her. The food stuck in her throat. Even the thought of the man who had attempted to kill her brought up too many terrible feelings.

"-with a giant sword, never seen anything like it-"

She knew she had to face him at some point. She had to look at him in broad daylight, to see if the nightmarish image locked in her mind matched the reality. They had taken him to the infirmary, but when Rinoa ventured down there, he had gone.

"She's in hospital – oh man, the Trepies are in tears-"

Doctor Kadowaki had insisted on examining Rinoa and asked her if she wanted counselling sessions. She promised to visit the doctor later on. Then she asked to see Quistis. Looking at Quistis made her feel awful. A machine was the only thing keeping her alive; her left lung had collapsed completely and the other was damaged.

_It could have been me. It should have been me. I was the real target – and she stepped in to defend me. _

"It really makes you feel unsafe, doesn't it? Like, any student could be a spy. Security was a total letdown."

Rinoa didn't feel safe here either. Any of these students might turn out to be spies – and that scared her. She had been too upset to think over it at first; too distraught at the loss of Angelo and how close to death she had come herself, but now her head had cleared a little. Someone out there wanted to kill her. Whether the terrifying stranger had been hired or not, she didn't know, but the chilling reality remained. Someone wanted her dead.

"Wonder what'll happen now?"

She didn't know. She supposed the intruders were locked in the Disciplinary Room. She felt so alone – so cut off from all the conversations around her, a stranger in a crowd. She wanted to see Squall – or Selphie or Irvine – somebody who could tell her exactly what was going on and that everything would be okay.

Rinoa looked up – and forgot her lunch at once. Xu had entered the cafeteria.

She bolted out of her chair. Xu would know what was going on! Xu would help her.

"Where's Squall?" she asked, out of breath.

"He's in his office. Rinoa, I'm afraid I can't really talk now – I'm in the middle of an important task-"

"Oh, that's all right!" she said. "I just want to see Squall. Those – those assassins aren't there, are they?"

"No. Don't worry, everything is secure. But Squall is busy right now; I don't think you should disturb him. How about you go to your room and rest?"

Rinoa bristled. Xu's tone was polite but she couldn't help feel as though she was being patronised.

"I've rested enough," she said. "I'm going to help Squall with whatever he's doing."

Xu hesitated. "I'm not sure you should get involved…"

"You mean Squall doesn't want me involved? Is that it? I'm sorry, but it's too late for that. I'm… well, you know what I am. He might need me."

From the expression on Xu's face, Rinoa could tell that she had read the situation exactly right. Of course Squall would try to handle this by himself. But she didn't need rescuing right now. Everyone seemed to forget that even though he had saved her, she had also saved him. They needed each other. She put on her most stubborn face.

"All right," Xu relented. "Just give me one minute – I need to collect someone." Xu turned towards the student tables and called out in a loud, officious voice. "Juna? Juna Rivers."

Rinoa's dark eyes passed over the students too. She saw a girl get up, pushed by her friends, a rather sulky expression on her face.

"Come with us," said Xu smoothly. At once the SeeD turned and marched off. Rinoa and Juna followed her. Rinoa hung back, deep in thought, but Juna increased her stride to catch up with Xu.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"We're going to the Commander's office," Xu replied. "He wants to see you."

"What for? I haven't done anything."

"We hope you may have some information for us."

They passed into the main foyer and headed up the stairs into the elevator.

"What information?" Juna asked.

"Regarding your sister."

Rinoa had been avoiding Juna's gaze, but now she looked straight at the girl, wondering what was going on.

"What about her? She's dead."

Xu didn't answer.

"I'm sorry," said Rinoa, feeling she ought to offer her condolences. Juna ignored her.

The elevator door opened and the three women stepped out. Xu knocked on the door of Squall's office and entered without waiting for an answer. Rinoa filed in behind her, but she was no obedient student like Juna and she didn't stand to attention. Protocol be damned – Rinoa rushed straight over to Squall who was sitting behind his desk, and threw herself upon his lap. He pushed his chair back and caught her.

"Squall," she murmured, delighting in the way his name slipped from her tongue, and his warm, solid presence.

He stood up, lifting her with him. Rinoa slipped from his embrace and stood by his side. Now she truly felt safe again. He didn't say anything to discourage her presence, which surprised her a little.

"Commander," said Xu. "This is Eris' sister, Juna."

Squall gave Juna a sombre look. "Juna, we have a few questions for you."

"Yes, sir?"

"While your sister was guarding Odine's Laboratory, did she ever get in contact with you?"

"Yeah… a few times."

Rinoa was puzzled. She looked between Squall and Juna, not understanding. Why was Squall making Juna bring up what must be a painful subject for her?

"Did she ever tell you anything about Odine's experiments?"

"Yeah – well, a bit." A slight pause, then she added, "Sir." Another pause.

"Can you elaborate?" Xu prompted.

Juna flushed. Haltingly at first, she started to speak. Rinoa listened intently, her hand squeezing Squall's.

"The stuff she told me… I don't think anyone was supposed to know. It was part of her contract to keep it secret – I mean, she knew I wouldn't tell – but she's dead anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter. It sounds like Odine is a real weirdo. He had all sorts of stuff in there – mutated animals, stuff to do with measuring the moon after the Lunar Cry, and even crazier, she said he was messing around with time, trying to create a time machine, time portals."

Rinoa felt Squall tense at the mention of time portals.

"Could you tell us more about that?" he asked.

"Time portals, sir? It was all top-secret – she said he'd built a working one, well, a kind of prototype anyway, and they sent a scientist through it to make observations. But then the Galbadians attacked and my sister got killed. That's it." Juna shrugged, her face hard.

_Time compression_, Rinoa thought. _Even now, Odine's working on the time machine that Ultimecia will use in the future… He doesn't care what will happen._ But she was still confused. What did this have to do with the attack?

"What's going on, Squall?" she asked.

Squall sighed heavily. "Juna, you may go."

"One moment, Commander," said Xu. "Juna, do you know the name of the scientist who went through the portal?"

Juna shrugged. "Nope, sorry." She made a movement as though she was about to leave, but then turned back, her ponytail swinging behind her head. "Yuffie's a Galbadian spy, isn't she? Sir, she was sharing my dorm. I could have been killed. I think I deserve some kind of compensation for all this." Her tone was petulant.

Rinoa knew Squall would be more likely to feel irritated than sympathetic towards the girl. So she answered instead.

"We're sorry about all this. Maybe-"

"You know the risks of being a Garden student," Squall interrupted her. "We do all we can to ensure the safety of our students – but this is a training ground for SeeDs. It's a high risk occupation."

Blotchy spots of colour appeared on Juna's cheeks – obviously, she was trying not to cry and Rinoa couldn't help feeling a bit troubled by the lack of compassion from her companions. Xu stood impassively by the door and Squall's face remained expressionless as ever.

Would Xu act that cold and businesslike if she reported to Rinoa that Squall had been killed someday? _Probably. _The thought made her tremble.

_I'm sorry_, Rinoa thought, as Juna lifted her chin and walked out in silence. _I wish you were just a normal teenage girl. Sometimes I wish I was too – no battles, no weapons, no bloodshed. And this… power I have. I've tried not to use it, to keep it at bay. I trust Squall to protect me. But one day he might not be there. One day I might have to defend myself._

"What do you think, Squall?" Xu asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Squall frowned. "It seems unlikely to be a coincidence. Unless the assassins somehow knew about the portal – but who else but Odine could make it work?"

"The assassins?" Rinoa asked, starting to catch on. "They have something to do with Odine's work?"

"They claim they're from another world," Squall told her.

Rinoa blinked. "Really?" She remembered her first feeling upon seeing the blond assassin – he seemed alien. "They got here through the portal?"

"So it seems," said Xu. "Squall – look."

He turned around. The screen on his computer was flashing – an incoming call. He pressed the button to accept the call. Caraway's face appeared on the screen.

"What is it?" he asked, without preamble.

"We have important news," Squall said. He told Caraway about the attack and described his suspicions about the assassins and their employers.

"Kelling," Caraway muttered, when he had finished his story. "That backstabbing…" He paused and compressed his lips. "I will deal with him," he assured Squall. "Meanwhile, keep Rinoa safe." His eyes moved to his daughter.

"But what about the girl who's been imprisoned?" Rinoa asked, looking from Squall to her father. Now she had heard the whole story, she was almost surprised to realise that she felt concerned for these people from another world. "We don't want to leave them trapped here, do we? We should help them."

"You're right," said Squall. "We'll send them back where they came from. And Odine wants his technology back."

"Odine?" The general's eyes narrowed. "So Esthar is the source of all this?"

"It's one of your advisors who stole the technology and used it against Rinoa," Squall reminded him.

But Rinoa knew that look in her father's eyes; his suspicions were flaring up.

"You only have the word of these other world assassins that Kelling is behind this. The portal is more of Esthar's sorcery – how can you be sure they didn't orchestrate the attack as well?"

"No," said Squall. "I heard Kelling's voice myself. He's behind this."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll have him arrested at once."

"Wait. We can't put pressure on Kelling while he still has the hostage," Squall said. "His allies would kill her and destroy the portal to cover their tracks. Can you delay arresting him until we've released the prisoner? I can send SeeDs out to collect her from D-District Prison, but we need your permission."

Caraway frowned. "Very well. I'll send a messenger to you with orders to release the prisoner tomorrow."

"We need to find out where the portal is too, to send them back."

"If Kelling is behind this, he will know," said Xu.

Squall nodded.

"We'll pass on the information to you as soon as we get it out of him," said Caraway.

Murmurs of agreement followed. It seemed the conversation was over, but then, to Rinoa's surprise, her father turned to look at her again.

"Rinoa... I'm glad you're all right."

She smiled at him; it would be churlish not to. If it took something as extreme as attempted murder to make him display affection towards her out loud, then so be it.

"Thank you."

The moment passed quickly; back to business again, Caraway bade them farewell and the connection was terminated. Xu muttered something which Rinoa didn't quite catch and left. The office became suddenly quiet; even the humming of the computer seemed muted. Squall sat down and ran a hand through his hair – a habit he had picked up from his father, she noticed. The tension had left his muscles; he sagged in his seat, looking tired. She perched on the desk next to him and smiled.

"I'm glad we got that sorted out."

"Not really. We still have a lot of work ahead of us. There's a lot we don't know."

"Do you trust them? Yuffie and Cloud?"

"No. We'll keep them under close scrutiny at all times. The sooner they're gone, the better. In the meantime, you should keep away from them."

"I suppose you're right." Rinoa looked at him sideways. He was frowning, as usual. It was a wonder his forehead wasn't permanently furrowed already. "Well, I guess I'll go back to my room."

"Wait a moment." Squall took something out of his pocket. He pressed it into her hand; it was cold and shiny, the shape and size of a marble. It grew warm as she held it.

"What is it?"

"They called it materia. Keep it. See if you can work out how to use it."

"Materia…" She held it up to her face; saw how it caught the light. It was the colour of a glowing emerald. "They gave you this?"

"Not exactly."

Her fingers tingled. Rinoa looked again at the materia. It shone innocuously. "I'll keep it safe for you," she promised.

"Thanks."

She gave him a brief kiss on the cheek and headed for her room, pressing the materia against her chest. But Rinoa had no intention of staying there. Instead, she leaned her head against the door and waited for Squall to leave.

* * *

"I feel a little… conspicuous."

"You're not the only one."

In the broad light of day, several things immediately became apparent to Nanaki. The first was that they were in a city they had never seen before. The sights, the sounds, the smells – all were unfamiliar. The second was that the place was swarming with humans. Buses and cars crawled across the tarmac roads like shiny metal beetles. People hurried past each other on the pavements or congregated at bus stops.

"Perhaps we should turn back," said Nanaki. They were skulking just outside the train station – having followed the railway line through the tunnel and discovering that it led to an apparently deserted platform.

A little girl holding her mother's hand passed them; she turned her head, her attention caught by the light on Nanaki's tail. Then she saw what was attached to it and screamed.

"A monster! A monster!"

"Oh dear," said Nanaki. He had hoped to remain unnoticed for the time being, crouched beneath the shadow of a pillar. Vincent had been leaning against the pillar, but he seemed to unfurl himself like a bat stretching its wings. His cloak fluttered in the breeze as he stepped forward.

The mother had turned to calm down her child, but inevitably her eyes strayed to where the girl was pointing. Nanaki remained still and tried to look unthreatening.

"Please don't be alarmed," said Vincent, holding out his hand in a placating gesture. "I assure you, my friend is quite tame."

"Oh – oh – that's q-quite all right," said the mother, eyeing Vincent's other, sharper hand, which he attempted to conceal beneath his cloak. She glanced at his face, blanched, and hurried off, tugging her daughter along after her.

Nanaki watched with a resigned air. He had witnessed this kind of reaction before.

"It will be impossible for our presence to go unnoticed," he said. "They won't be the only ones who mistake me for a monster."

"Perhaps I should get you a collar and leash."

"Perhaps I should get you sunglasses and gloves."

Vincent smiled. "You're right," he said. "We are hopelessly conspicuous, but we shouldn't make it easier for our enemies to track us. Have you picked up their trail?"

Nanaki shook his head.

"Then we must move on."

* * *

Two grim-faced SeeDs opened the cell door and escorted Cloud and Yuffie out. Yuffie assaulted them with a flurry of questions but they ignored her. They proceeded down the corridor in silence.

"What do you think is gonna happen?" Yuffie muttered.

Cloud shrugged. _Another interrogation, perhaps_, he thought. He recognised the door of the same classroom they had been in earlier. One of the SeeDs opened it and gestured inside. Squall and the other SeeDs were waiting for them.

Cloud touched Yuffie's shoulder. "Whatever they do, we're going to rescue Tifa. Even if we have to break out."

"We might not be able to find her without them, Cloud. These guys know about this world." She grinned. "And if they don't want to help us, well, we'll just bribe them with gil. They're mercenaries, right? So we'll hire them."

He snorted at the thought, but followed her into the classroom, where the SeeDs were waiting for them.

Cloud's eyes automatically scanned the room, looking for possible exits. They were unarmed and outnumbered by at least two to one as he felt sure that the door was being guarded by their escort. Overall, their chances didn't look good. They might be fast enough to get out of the room, but then they would have to race through the entire complex and even if they did escape, their position would be little better. Finding Tifa was his first priority – and Yuffie was right; the SeeDs' assistance would be invaluable. He hoped the bastard would co-operate.

Squall was flanked by Irvine, Selphie and Xu. He stared at them. "We've investigated your claims," he began.

Next to Cloud, Yuffie was nearly hopping up and down in anticipation. The seconds lengthened.

"For now, we accept your story," said Squall, and Yuffie just had time to let out a whoop of delight before he added, "But that doesn't mean we trust you yet. The orders to release your friend will arrive tomorrow. We'll bring her to you, the Galbadians will have Kelling arrested and then we'll find out the location of the laboratory from him and send you back home. Any questions?"

Cloud had a lot of questions and for once he beat Yuffie to it.

"We can't wait until tomorrow; they might kill Tifa at any time. What if Kelling finds out we're working together?"

Yuffie nodded. "Yeah! Remember the phone call? If I don't show up at the house soon, he's bound to know something's up!"

Xu leaned over and whispered in Squall's ear. She clearly thought her voice would be inaudible to Cloud and Yuffie, but Cloud heard every word.

"Squall, I think she's right. They've backed us into a corner. None of us can afford for Kelling to suspect that all is not well – if she doesn't turn up, he may flee before the Galbadians arrest him."

The commander frowned. He addressed Yuffie. "If you do go, you're not going alone. A SeeD will accompany you."

Yuffie snorted. "Like _that's_ not going to give the game away."

"Go where?" a voice drawled.

Cloud jerked his head in the direction of the voice. His mouth opened in surprise. Seifer. He was leaning against the doorway, looking at them with raised eyebrows. Xu attempted to order him out, but Seifer ignored her and walked right into the classroom like he owned it.

"I wondered why today's lesson was cancelled." He smirked at Cloud and Yuffie.

Squall gritted his teeth and pointed at the door. "Leave."

"The students are all saying that the SeeD exam has been cancelled as well," Seifer continued. "I figured they were the reason. And where is the little ninja so eager to get off to?"

Xu blocked his way towards Cloud and Yuffie and tried again. "Seifer Almasy, you are violating Balamb Garden's code of conduct. You will leave now or face another detention."

When Seifer still didn't budge, Irvine sighed and cocked his gun in Seifer's direction. "Move it."

Seifer shrugged. "I thought you said the ninja girl needed an escort. Are you going to turn down a volunteer?"

Cloud watched Squall's reaction with interest. His air of authority was visibly shaken. A vein throbbed in his forehead.

"I thought I told you to leave, Seifer. This business has nothing to do with you."

"I wonder what Rinoa would have to say about that." Seifer stepped aside. "Why don't you ask her?"

At the door, a figure stepped reluctantly into view. He had last seen that figure in a white nightdress, cowering and terrified. As Rinoa moved forward, her eyes never left Cloud's face. She came closer slowly, watching him as if she thought she was approaching a dangerous animal. He couldn't blame her for thinking that; he felt a lump in his throat.

"You're Cloud," she said.

"Rinoa," Squall growled, "leave, it's not safe…" He motioned for Xu to take Rinoa out of the room. But Rinoa gave Xu a glassy-eyed stare and the SeeD stood back, frozen. Nobody else had moved. Seifer watched, smirking. Cloud wanted to apologise but the words stuck in his throat.

"Cloud," said Rinoa again. She was almost upon him now. He didn't think he could have moved even if he wanted to. She raised a hand, as if to stroke his cheek. And slapped him. Hard. "You killed Angelo!"

Cloud's head snapped back from the force of the blow and he felt the crackle of magic. It stung. The electric atmosphere had vanished; his limbs were free again. He raised a hand to touch his cheek.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"Wow, you go, girl," he heard Yuffie whisper, and elbowed her.

Rinoa stepped away from him, breathing hard. Squall grabbed her hand and pulled her further back. He saw that Irvine had been ready to fire all this time.

"What did you bring Rinoa here for?" Squall yelled. His anger was directed at Seifer.

"No," said Rinoa, "I brought Seifer here. Don't blame him. He wants to help and so do I."

"_You_ brought him?"

"You got it," said Seifer, a malicious grin splitting his face. "Your little girlfriend went running straight to me behind your back…"

"No, I didn't!" Rinoa protested. "It wasn't like that at all!"

"Enough!" Cloud interrupted. Tifa was in more danger with every passing second and these SeeDs were bickering like children. He hadn't noticed it much before, but they were all young – still teenagers, and behind the military uniforms, the threats and the weapons, they still acted like teenagers. He glared at them all in turn.

"Yuffie needs to go back to the house," he said. "I can't go because they think I'm dead and I can't afford to blow our cover. I'll stay here as a hostage if you want – that way, you know Yuffie won't run away."

Irvine looked at Squall, who had finally wrenched his glare away from Seifer. "Sounds reasonable."

"And I'll go with her to make sure she doesn't try any funny business," said Seifer.

Squall immediately switched his cold glare back on. "Why do _you_ want to go so much?"

"Consider this mission my SeeD test. A way to prove my loyalty. After all this time, you've still got a stick up your ass, _Commander_. I'll show you I can handle this better than any second-rate commander and his garden of weeds."

Rinoa took Squall's arm. "Come on, Squall. Seifer's not a SeeD, so it'll just look like he's a student friend of Yuffie's. It makes sense. You're giving them the benefit of the doubt, so why not him?"

"You know why," Squall murmured, but his eyes softened. Cloud could tell that he was going to give in. His heart gave a pang as he remembered how Barret had joked that Tifa had him firmly under her boot now.

"Hey, don't I have any say in this?" Yuffie asked. "I don't want to go with this jerk."

"Shall we have Selphie escort you instead?" Xu suggested.

Yuffie looked at the other girl and blanched. "No, thanks."

"Then let's go," said Seifer. He held out his hand. Yuffie looked at it.

"What, now?"

"Yes, now. Weren't you in a hurry? Or would you rather stay with lover boy over there?"

"But what about my-"

"Go," said Cloud. He knew what she was going to say but he wasn't about to give the SeeDs anything else to argue about. He didn't like the idea of leaving her unarmed with an arrogant jerk like Seifer for back up, but Yuffie could handle it. She narrowed her eyes at him, but got up and went over to Seifer anyway.

Squall scowled. "If you put one toe out of line, Seifer, I'll hunt you down myself."

"You do that." Seifer flashed a smile at Rinoa. "See ya!"

He and Yuffie both disappeared, Yuffie trailing behind and muttering about the insane number of assholes inhabiting this place. The two SeeDs who had been guarding the door followed them; Cloud caught sight of their shadows moving across the visible patch of hallway.

He looked back at the remaining SeeDs.

"Phew!" said Selphie. "I'm glad we got rid of those two. They're welcome to each other."

"I don't know," said Irvine. "Maybe I should have taken her myself…"

"I don't think so. Hey, Squall, what about the other one? I mean, Cloud." She glanced at Cloud and managed half a smile. Clearly, she wasn't quite sure how to treat him yet.

Xu looked at Squall. "Shall I take him back to the cell?"

"What about Tifa?" Cloud asked.

"I've already told you," said Squall. "There's nothing we can do until tomorrow. We'll set up accommodation for you in the Disciplinary Room."

Cloud shrugged. Well, he had agreed to be their hostage after all. He didn't like the situation, but it was best to co-operate.

_I_ _hope you're all right, Tifa. I'm coming for you. I'll come, as soon as I can._

* * *

Tifa stirred and opened her eyes. Something had woken her from a dream. Broken fragments hovered around the edge of her mind; a black maze of corridors, someone shouting orders, the sound of machine guns… The impressions faded as she became fully awake. _How many hours has it been now?_ They had given her food and after that she had been dozing on and off, to pass the time.

She heard a light tapping. A short series of taps in quick succession and then the noise stopped. Curious, she stood up and moved towards the cell door. Her eyes quickly became used to the dim light again; she could see the outline of the door, and she pressed one hand against it though she knew it was no use. No sounds filtered in from outside. She waited, listening to the sound of her own breathing. In and out, in and out. There it was again – that tapping, closer this time.

"Is someone there?"

"You – you're awake?"

"Wedge?"

"Yeah, it's me. You've been asleep all morning; my shift is almost over."

Tifa paused, feeling puzzled. His voice was muffled by the door separating them, but he sounded friendly, anxious even. He seemed different to the others. Maybe she could get some information out of him.

"How long have I been here?"

"Two and a half days. And I still don't know your name."

Maybe it wouldn't hurt to tell him after all… if she could get him on her side somehow.

"My name is Tifa."

"Tifa." He breathed out the name in such a low voice she barely heard it. "It's… beautiful."

"You think so? I thought I was a dangerous criminal."

"You're dangerous… but I don't think you're a criminal."

_How ironic_, she thought. Then again, if he didn't know who she was, he wouldn't know she used to be a member of a terrorist organisation either.

"If I'm not a criminal, why am I locked up?"

He didn't answer.

"Wedge? I thought you wanted to talk to me."

"I shouldn't," he said miserably. "Biggs is due to arrive any minute and I'm not supposed to know your name or anything about you at all."

"That's Shinra for you."

"I don't know what Shinra is. I don't have anything to do with Shinra."

She frowned. There he was again, denying knowledge of the most well-known corporation on the Planet. The blatant lie angered her.

"Well, whoever you are, you're going to get a shock when Cloud comes," she shot at him. "He broke into Shinra HQ, so wherever this place is will be easy for him."

"Cloud? The mercenary?"

And suddenly, her heart rate sky-rocketed. "You know Cloud?"

"Yeah, a guy with spiky blond hair, carrying a sword? He's working for my boss."

She trembled. Yes, that was Cloud all right. But… "He can't be working for you! He wouldn't."

"But he is." Wedge sounded bewildered. "He was hired as a mercenary… He's getting paid… although he didn't look that happy about it, and his friend was ill from the transportation…"

"No," Tifa murmured. Her thoughts were racing as fast as her heart, trying to figure out what was going on. "What friend?" she asked.

"I – I can't tell you. Tifa, I don't understand…"

"He's getting paid? What's he being paid to do?"

"I can't tell you that either – I shouldn't-"

"_What's he being paid to do_?"

"An assassination," said Wedge unhappily. "But – you're his friend?"

Tifa drew breath sharply. So she was being held to ransom – and somewhere out there Cloud was being forced to do a job he swore he would never do again. "Wedge – I'm the payment! Don't you see? Cloud's working for your boss to save me! I'm not here because I'm some criminal – I'm a hostage!"

There was a pause. She tried to imagine Wedge's expression on the other side of the door, but couldn't, because she had only seen him with the mask on. He looked like just another faceless soldier.

"Tifa, I'm sorry," he whispered. "It makes sense now – I had my suspicions, but I'm just a grunt; I have to follow orders. I want to help you…"

"Then help me!" she said. "Please, Wedge, let me out!"

"I…" She thought she sensed movement outside the door; the shift of an arm or leg. "Biggs! Biggs is coming! I can't-"

"Quick! Open the door, Wedge, I can protect you, I promise – please-" In desperation, she slammed her fists against the door. _Come on, open!_


	15. Sparrow Legs

**15**

** Sparrow Legs**

Yuffie clenched her fists as they entered the elevator. She was _so_ tempted to punch Seifer. He stood there, with his arms folded, that perpetual smirk on his face. Beneath his coat, she saw that he was armed. But those two silent SeeDs were escorting them again, and she could imagine how they'd react if she started a fight.

"Aren't I gonna get my shuriken?" she asked.

"Too late for that," said Seifer. "You don't think Squall would want you armed, do you?"

"But there are monsters out there!"

"Relax. You're with me."

She couldn't find words to express her anger, so she settled for an incoherent growl instead. The door of the elevator opened and Yuffie followed Seifer out, fuming. The SeeDs accompanied them all the way to the front gate. One of them spoke.

"I don't know how you managed to do this, Seifer, but now you've been given a mission, it's your responsibility to act like a professional. This is a chance for both of you to redeem yourselves. Better not mess it up."

"Yeah, yeah," Seifer sneered. "Didn't you wet yourself on your first SeeD exam?"

The young man flushed. "I-I'm just warning you, okay? That's always been your problem; you never listen."

Seifer's only response to that was a rude hand gesture. He walked out of the gate, and so did Yuffie. She sensed the SeeDs behind them, watching, but knew they wouldn't follow any further.

Yuffie paused and looked over the plains. The sun was high in the sky; a few wispy clouds moved with the breeze. The grass swayed with the wind as well, creating a rippling effect across the undulating land. Not far in the distance, she saw the city she had come from, a dark mass of shapes cutting across the horizon. A dark grey curve snaked towards it: the road. And further off, she saw a set of shining straight lines; she shaded her eyes and realised it was the glint of a railway track.

"So," said Seifer, turning his head to look at her. "Are you really assassins or just rogue mercenaries who felt lucky?"

"Neither!" she snapped. "We didn't have a choice."

"So you didn't want to kill Rinoa?"

"No. For your information, we happen to be heroes where we come from!"

"Heroes?" He stared at her. "Then why has no-one here ever heard of you?"

"You really wanna know?"

He nodded and started walking. She made sure she was out of the SeeDs' earshot before she reluctantly told her story again. To her surprise, he listened attentively and didn't even comment when she explained about the portal.

"I see," said Seifer, when she had finished. "So back on this other world, you and Cloud are heroes?"

"Yeah."

"Damn."

"What do you mean, damn?"

"You're one damn good liar. You get that from a book?"

She spat on the ground angrily._ Why did I bother?_ Annoyed, she sped up, heading for the city without him. Seifer increased his stride, his long legs catching up with her effortlessly.

"I wouldn't stray too far if I were you," he said. "There are monsters on these plains. We get in a fight, follow the rules-"

"Rules? Nu-uh, no way, buster-"

"You're unarmed, so stay out of my way and try not to trip over those sparrow legs."

"S-sparrow legs?" Yuffie spluttered. "Hey, I could kick your ass with my arms tied behind my back!"

Seifer turned away from her, gazing across the plains. She put her hands on her hips.

"Hey! Did you hear me?"

He turned back and grinned at her. "You wanted me to tie your hands behind your back?"

_Ooh, that–_

"Heads up," Seifer said, before she could retort. "Wendigo, off to the right! Time for some action!"

He drew his blade and ran forwards. Yuffie reached for her shuriken, remembered it wasn't there, cursed and followed him. The wendigo had spotted them; it lumbered in their direction. Ape-like, it moved on all fours, its knuckles crunching into the ground. Its small muddy eyes were fixed on them; its head looked absurdly small compared to its thick, heavily muscled body.

"Remember, stay out of my way!" said Seifer.

_Make me_, Yuffie thought, and she sprinted ahead of him. The wind rushed through her hair; she whooped and flipped over, dealing the wendigo a bone-crunching kick as she landed. The blow knocked the wendigo over; it thrashed its legs, but failed to connect with anything as Yuffie had already darted away. She punched the air in triumph.

"What d'you think of that?"

Seifer followed up her attack with a sword thrust to the wendigo's exposed belly. He pulled the blade out swiftly; the wendigo twitched, blood foamed out of its jaws, and then its body went limp.

"You bruised it – but I dealt the finishing blow. That makes the victory mine." He wiped his blade on the grass. His entire face had lit up as he spoke; his eyes bright, his skin flushed. Yuffie recognised the signs. The brief battle had exhilarated him.

"Yeah, right." Yuffie kicked at the wendigo's body with her boot. "This thing's got a tough hide – you wouldn't have been able to gore it so easily if I hadn't knocked it over first."

"Are you talking about teamwork? Because I work better alone."

"That's bullshit," Yuffie challenged him. "Nobody works better alone."

Seifer ignored her. They started walking again. Seifer hadn't sheathed his sword; instead, he swept it idly from side to side, lopping off the heads of daisies and grass stems.

"Hey, watch it!" said Yuffie. "Do you just wanna kill me, is that it? Little unarmed me against you and your metal stick? 'Cause you can try, but I can tell you now I'll be the one who comes back alive."

He paused for a second, then raised his sword and gave her a mocking smile. "Then why don't you kill me? You could take me on and then run away. Get out of this mess."

They stared at each other. The corner of Seifer's mouth twitched. He still wasn't taking her seriously and that infuriated her, but she also knew that she couldn't afford to start a fight. She looked away with a sigh.

"I could kick your butt any time except… I can't run, so there's no point. I can't leave my friends. We're a team." She looked back at him again. "But you wouldn't know anything about that, Mr I-work-better-alone."

He laughed.

"You think this is so funny, don't you? But you weren't laughing last time when I had my shuriken. Remember that?"

She was glad to see Seifer's smirk waver.

"You surprised everyone – but if you're so tough, why didn't you go after Rinoa yourself? Why'd you get your boyfriend to do it?"

"Cloud's not my boyfriend, okay? Gawd!"

She glared at him and kicked a rock. It bounced out of the grass and skittered onto the tarmac road ahead of them. They continued walking. When she reached it, she kicked it again, wishing it was Seifer. He turned to look at her, his lips curved upwards, obviously enjoying her frustration. Her fists clenched. She fixed him with her best death-glare.

"If you think I'm a liar, why don't you fight me now, huh? Why did you come with me?

His face darkened. "I ain't going to kill you." He swung the blade more violently, tossing up a clump of grass. "I just – wanted to get out."

"They don't let you out, a big boy like you?"

Yuffie glanced sidelong at Seifer, but she couldn't tell if her sarcasm had had any effect. They moved to the verge of the road as a car zoomed past them.

Seifer lapsed into silence. He held his sword loosely by his side and looked down, apparently deep in thought. Then he looked at her.

"Did Squall really buy this crap?"

"Yes, he did! 'Cause it's true!"

"Squall wouldn't believe a story like that without some serious evidence," Seifer mused. He looked at her. "Okay, let's say I believe you for now. Where'd you come from in this other world?"

_Oh, so he was teasing me all along, was he_? He probably didn't care, she thought, but she answered him anyway. "Wutai."

"They have a lot of girls playing ninjas in Wutai?"

She glared at him. "Wutai is full of great fighters like me!"

"Full of heroes too?"

Her head drooped. "Well, not any more. Not since the war."

Seifer looked at her curiously. For now, there was no trace of a sneer on his face, no mocking glint in his eye.

"It's just a resort town now." She sighed, and then wondered why she was telling him this. "Anyway," she went on, "I'm gonna make Wutai glorious again! Now Meteor's gone, the whole world is gonna rebuild – start over."

"Sounds great," said Seifer. "But it can be tough, starting over. Things are never the same."

There was a hint of sadness in his voice which surprised her. Maybe he actually understood. _Doesn't stop him being a jerk though_, she reminded herself.

"We were doing fine, thanks," she said, "and then we had to get dumped in this dump of a world, and get stuck with the suckiest blackmail ever, and then I got dumped in a prison cell, and now I'm stuck with you!" She glared at him again, but couldn't quite make it a full-on super-ninja death-glare.

He grinned. "But you really don't wanna pick a fight? How about that geezard over there?"

Both Yuffie and Seifer had a lot of pent-up frustration. The geezard didn't stand a chance.

* * *

The entire cell block could hear the wrath of unnamed prisoner forty nine. She was throwing one hell of a fit in there. Biggs sighed. He had a headache and he wasn't surprised to see Wedge just standing in front of the door like a frightened rabbit.

"Wedge?" He put on his most intimidating military voice and the young man jumped to attention. "Is that _our_ prisoner making all that racket?"

"Y-yes, sir. Sorry, sir, I've tried asking her to be quiet-"

"Leave it to me," said Biggs. He pushed Wedge gently out of the way. "Oi!" he yelled into the door. "Be quiet in there!" To his satisfaction, the noise stopped at once.

He clapped Wedge on the back. "See, that's how you handle them. Gotta be firm. Now go on, take a break."

"Thanks, sir."

"Well, get moving then."

"Yes, sir… but don't you think this prisoner is kind of funny, sir?"

"Funny? What, has she been cracking jokes at you from inside the cell?"

"No, sir. I mean the circumstances surrounding her imprisonment."

"Still think this has something to do with the Sorceress plot, do you?" Biggs decided to humour him. Wedge sometimes got these strange ideas into his head, and besides he had a crush on the girl which was bound to screw up his brain a little. "Well, maybe it does and maybe it doesn't, but what does it matter?"

"What if she's being used as a hostage to make the mercenaries do their job?"

Biggs blinked. Wedge was imaginative, but this was a big leap even for him. "They're mercenaries. That means they take cash. Where'd you get that idea from anyway? You haven't been talking to the prisoner, have you?" he added suspiciously.

"No, sir," said Wedge quickly. "Only, they all came from the portal, so they must be from the same place – in Esthar, right? And I thought there might be a connection."

Biggs looked around, but luckily no guards were in sight. "Shh," he said. "You know the portal is top-secret. It'll be for military use, I bet – transportation across the world in an instant. Even better than the old Centran shelters."

"I just don't think it's right to imprison innocent people as hostages."

"Stop harping on about it," said Biggs irritably. "Deling was just as bad, wasn't he – chucked all his political opponents in a cell, but I never saw you complaining about that. Then again, none of them were pretty young girls, were they?"

Wedge hung his head. "I'm sorry, sir."

"Soon as we've saved enough money, we'll ditch this job and buy our own piece of land, right? Just think of that." Biggs smiled, but his attempt at comfort didn't appear to be working. Wedge shuffled his feet and looked down.

"I suppose, sir."

"Are you sure you're all right, Wedge? Maybe you should go lie down."

"No, I'm fine, sir."

"Then go."

Wedge nodded and trudged off, though he did look over his shoulder rather longingly. Biggs frowned. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to let Wedge guard the prisoner after all; not if he was going to behave like this. He sighed and stationed himself outside the cell.

* * *

"Okay, we're almost there," said Yuffie. "You'd better stay back and wait here."

They had curved round the plains to approach the edge of the city from a slightly different angle, in order to get as close as possible without being in the guards' direct line of sight. Yuffie didn't know exactly how observant these guards were; maybe they'd been following her all the way or they were watching with binoculars from a high window somewhere. But the shadows of a building were almost upon them and they only had to walk around a couple of blocks before they reached the house.

Seifer stopped when she did, but he tapped his foot impatiently. "No."

"Yes! Whaddya think Kelling's lackeys are gonna say when they see you?"

"That you dumped your old boyfriend and found a better one really quickly?"

She laughed; she couldn't help it.

He scowled. "What?"

"You couldn't handle me. Cloud isn't my boyfriend, but he's a lot of things you aren't."

"Like what?"

"He's a hero." She stared at him, a challenging look in her eyes, but he only scowled some more. "Anyway, you can't come along – they're gonna think we're up to something. They're gonna suspect."

"What are you gonna do if it's a trap?"

"I have to take that chance," said Yuffie, holding her chin high in defiance. "Wouldn't you risk your life for a friend?"

"I already have," said Seifer simply. "I risked my life for Rinoa by agreeing to bring you here."

"What?"

"Come on, you don't really believe Squall trusts you, do you?" Seifer shook his head and laughed bitterly. "Believe me; I know the real reason Squall let me go. I'm expendable – face it, we both are. He doesn't give a shit if we die – whether we fight each other or the Galbadians kill us."

Yuffie blinked. "Wait, but isn't Rinoa-"

"Squall's? Yeah. Just something else he took from me." He shrugged.

"And you knew all that, but you still did it anyway?"

"Yeah." He grinned. "Looks like I got lucky. You ain't tried to kill me yet and I guess that means something. So go. And maybe if you come back, I'll tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"About a boy who used to have a romantic dream."

She frowned. _Huh?_ Seifer was more puzzling by the minute. She didn't understand him, but somehow – she wasn't sure how – she had persuaded him to let her carry on to the house herself. _Yep. Focus, Yuffie, focus. Forget Seifer; his weird brand of jerkdom probably comes from being at Balamb Garden for so long._

Without another word, she turned and made off in the direction of the house. As she slipped through some trees, she glanced back and saw Seifer's eyes glittering in the shadows. She gave him a sardonic wave before leaping over a fence, through an alley and towards the road where the secret house stood.

She had barely set foot on the pavement before her neck prickled. She was being watched. She walked forwards slowly. There was the house, just as she remembered it. The gate hung off its hinges; weeds poked through the fence and the lower windows were boarded up. A man leaned nonchalantly against the fence. Stubble darkened his jaw. It was the guy who had driven her to Balamb Garden.

"Yuffie?"

She stopped a few feet away from him and glanced around. This was her reception? There had to be some more guards watching her from somewhere.

"Yeah?" she said.

"Kelling would like a few questions answered."

"Like what? Isn't he here?"

"No. He's got other matters to deal with." The man regarded her steadily. "Why aren't you armed?"

"It would've looked too suspicious if I'd gone towards the gate holding a weapon. See, I had to skip a class to come here."

"Right. You still got the mobile phone that was given to you?"

"Yeah."

"Give it to me."

Yuffie placed her hand over her pocket defensively. She didn't want to give up her only link to Kelling. It was incriminating evidence.

"But won't I need to use it, to keep in touch?"

"No. You failed once, so we're changing the rules. You've got one more day to complete your mission. If you don't return here before nightfall tomorrow… you know the price."

"What?" She was dismayed. "But what if I don't get the chance?"

"You'll just have to make sure you do, won't you? Now give me that phone."

Yuffie sighed. Inwardly, she was considering. _So, if we rescue Tifa tomorrow, we have to get her out before nightfall…_

"All right," she said. The man's hand quivered as she gave him the phone.

"Good," he said, his voice betraying no hint of anxiety. "Now take this." He drew out a tiny vial – it looked like a miniature test tube, of the kind that almost inevitably contained something unpleasant.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Yeah. Make sure Rinoa drinks it."

She shrugged. "Okay." She watched him carefully when he passed the vial over to her, but this time his hands remained steady. A thin film of sweat coated his forehead. _He's tense_, she thought, _maybe even afraid, but he's trying not to show it._ A bubble of glee welled up inside her. He ought to be afraid, because even unarmed, Yuffie was dangerous. She felt like a cat in a city of mice.

"You'd better go back," said the man. "Remember, you're being watched."

Yuffie flashed him a smile, showing her teeth. "See ya!" With the vial safely tucked in her pocket, she sauntered away. She almost broke into a skip, but remembered the man was probably still watching. Skipping didn't look very dangerous. In fact, when people didn't realise she was a deadly ninja, they often mistook her for a silly teenage girl. Obviously, these people were not of Wutai. They soon learned their mistake.

She returned through the alley and back through the trees where Seifer had been skulking. A pair of crows flew away as she walked past. They were the only movement she could see around her. The shadows were empty. Seifer had gone.

And then, just as her happy bubble of confidence was leaking away, something hard and cold pressed into the back of her skull. She gulped.

"Tell me," said a familiar voice, "why are you heading the wrong way?"

* * *

"There's another," Nanaki grunted.

Vincent ducked as a bullet whizzed over his head. He darted to the left, on to a path shaded by trees. Nanaki slunk after him, keeping as low as he could. They had reached a park. Civilians, panicked by the gunshots, were scattered across the area. Some ran; others huddled together in terrified groups. Nanaki left the path and crept into the undergrowth. Most of the people hadn't spotted him, but they all saw Vincent, and seemed to immediately sense that he was the one being chased.

The screaming intensified. Vincent ignored them; he darted forward and pressed himself against a tree trunk. Opposite him, Nanaki settled himself beneath a shrub. They looked at each other, eyes gleaming. The guards had chased them halfway across the city, and though Vincent had killed a few, he was reluctant to fire with so many innocent passers-by about. They had been unable to escape undetected because if a guard didn't spot them, a civilian inevitably raised the alarm.

Now they could set an ambush. But they had the same problem; although Vincent was hidden from the view of any guards approaching the path from the east, he was in plain sight of everyone else. Some had fled, but others were staring. A child's football lay in the middle of the path, close to Vincent. Nanaki's keen ears picked up the wailing of several children, but none dared to retrieve it.

He waited.

The guard who had fired at them earlier appeared. Like all the guards that had attacked them, he wore a blue uniform. Two more grunts followed behind him. They looked around warily. The disappearance of most of the people who had been relaxing in the park was an obvious sign of Vincent and Nanaki's presence.

Vincent slipped out from behind the tree and fired three shots in succession. Two guards fell, bullet wounds in their heads. The third had stepped aside at exactly the right moment; the bullet shot past him, clipping his ear. He let out a cry of pain and reflexively fired his weapon.

Vincent dodged behind the tree again. Nanaki stayed low; in a fire fight he preferred to keep under cover. He fought best at close quarters. Meanwhile, the grunt had retreated out of sight around the corner, beyond the metal railing that marked the entrance to the park. Vincent caught Nanaki's eyes again and nodded slightly. Nanaki understood at once; he turned and slunk back through the undergrowth parallel to the path.

The leaf litter rustled slightly, but otherwise his approach was silent. The guard had paused just around the corner from the park. The greenery thinned out around him; Nanaki dropped to his belly and shimmied forward. He pricked up his ears as the guard spoke into a walkie-talkie.

"Sighting in the central park. Jenkins and Simms went down. Requesting urgent back-up. Urgent back-up required – oh, come on!" the guard hissed as the walkie-talkie crackled.

Nanaki shuffled forwards another few inches. He paused when the guard looked around nervously.

A voice replied but it was so distorted by crackling that he found it difficult to make out the words.

"Can't. Security's already compromised. Overstretched as it is. Not enough personnel left. House unguarded."

"What? They've all pulled out already?"

An affirmative crackle. The guard swore.

"I'm not going back into that park alone. You'll have to tell the normal authorities."

"Can't do that either. Top secret."

"Top secret? There's a caped gunman with his talking pet walking around and you think this is top secret? We're not exactly undercover here."

"It's a mess. We know. Sort it!"

The crackling of the walkie-talkie faded into background noise. The guard swore again.

"Damn scientists," he muttered.

Nanaki was close enough to pounce now. He unsheathed his claws, waiting for the right moment. Mounting tension rippled through his muscles; his hindquarters lifted and his tail lashed from side to side. The guard's eyes shifted. He yelped and fired his gun just as Nanaki sprang.

* * *

Yuffie stammered. "I… uh…"

Something swept into her legs and she fell over in a tangled heap. At the same time, she heard a gunshot go off, and felt the whoosh of air as it passed over her head. A second later, a man cried out in pain. She whipped her head around and scrambled to her feet as fast as she could. The badly shaven man was now bleeding badly, clutching the stump of his arm. Seifer stood over him, his blade hovering over the man's chest. He stabbed downwards casually; as the man spluttered out his final breaths, Seifer leaned on the hilt of his blade, digging it in further, and smiled at Yuffie.

"I knew those sparrow legs would come in useful."

She stared at him, her mouth open. "Did you trip me up?"

"I might have."

"And you just killed him – the guy working for Kelling."

"Yes. Are we playing a game of state the obvious?" He lifted the blade and wiped it on the dead man's clothes. No blood had spattered onto Seifer's trench coat, but the dead man was absolutely drenched in it. _Ew._

"I've looked around," he added, "and I don't think there were any other guards watching you. Really boring. Seems like that guy was the only one meeting you, so we don't have to worry about anyone else squealing."

"But he's Kelling's contact. And now Kelling's gonna realise we're not working for him anymore and he's gonna kill Tifa and you didn't even get any information out of him before killing him!"

"Yuffie, he had a gun to your head."

"So? I could've got out of it myself – I've been in stickier situations."

Seifer shrugged. "Well, no need to thank me. I only saved your life, after all."

"In the stupidest and most gross way ever! Cloud wouldn't have done that. He's a real hero."

Seifer's eyes gleamed. He swept his sword up and pointed it straight at her neck. "I'm no hero."

Yuffie gulped. Suddenly he looked and sounded much more dangerous.

"And the thing about not being a hero," Seifer continued, "is that you ain't got all this moral _baggage_ hanging around your neck. You can do anything. You can save a girl's life. Or you can take it away."

"But you wouldn't," said Yuffie.

He raised his eyebrows. "Wouldn't I? You don't know what I've done in the past."

"You wouldn't. You still haven't told me."

"Told you what?"

"About your dream."

Seifer paused. He lowered his blade; Yuffie breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at her for a moment, his expression inscrutable.

"We'd better go back."

She nodded. She didn't want to hang around next to that body any longer; grimacing, she crouched down next to it and retrieved the mobile phone from inside the shirt. Her hands were bloody. She turned away to wipe them as Seifer kicked the body behind some crates. Despite the broad sunlight beaming down, the narrow alley remained dark and the shadows long. They could only hope that there really were no other guards around so the body would stay undiscovered for a while. They started walking. For a while, there was silence, while Yuffie struggled inwardly. Part of her still wanted to punch Seifer but another part realised that he really had been helping her. As they reached the plain, she looked at him and decided to speak.

"Thanks," she said. "For saving my life."

He shrugged airily. "No problem."

"You still screwed up though!" she added quickly. "If Kelling kills Tifa 'cause of this, I'm gonna kill you!"

"Piss off."

"Jerk."

"Brat."

She stuck out her tongue at him. "Asshole! And you still haven't told me about your dream!"

Seifer stared ahead, his gaze seeming to go past the plains and the shape of Balamb Garden looming up before them.

"There was a boy," he said, "who wanted to be a hero. He wanted to be a Sorceress' knight, because he thought that would make him a man."

"A Sorceress?" said Yuffie excitedly. "You mean like Rinoa?"

"Yeah – but Rinoa wasn't a Sorceress back then. She was just a girl."

"What, so people can become Sorceresses? How does that work? What do they do anyway?"

Seifer glared at her. "Can't you shut up for a minute? I'm trying to tell a heartfelt story here."

"Can you skip to the point? It's not like I'm interested anyway." Which was a complete lie, really; she wouldn't admit it, but he had intrigued her. Selphie had told her something of Seifer's exploits, but Yuffie was mature enough to know that there was always another side to the story.

"I used to be a knight," said Seifer. "I'm not now. End of story. That quick enough for you?"

"Oh. Man, you're prickly. Good thing I didn't pick your pockets earlier."

"You wouldn't have been able to."

"Wanna bet?"

"Try it," he challenged her.

"That's not fair, you're expecting it now!"

Seifer's free hand went to his coat pocket and he plucked out a glowing marble. Yuffie's eyes lit up.

"My materia! Where'd you get it?"

"Rinoa gave it to me. She said it might come in handy." He lifted up the materia and squinted at it. "Looks like junk to me."

"Give it here," she said. "I know how to use it."

He tossed it to her. She caught it, already bubbling with glee at the thought of using it on him. A little fire magic would surprise him; singe his collar a little. She squeezed the materia in her hand, trying to feel the energy it exuded. Nothing happened. She remembered how it hadn't worked for her before and the bubble of glee burst, to be replaced with frustration.

Seifer watched her with raised eyebrows. "I'm waiting."

"It's not working!" She stamped her foot. "Argh, stupid materia! It worked for Cloud; why can't it work for me?"

"Better fix it quickly," said Seifer, a note of urgency in his voice. "Grendels, coming right behind you!"

Yuffie jumped and twisted around. A _thing_ – the grendel – seemed to leap right out of the grass, one of its scaly forelegs poised to strike. She stumbled backwards and it missed her by a few inches; its claws raked empty air. Seifer darted past her to deal with the other grendel, which was following its companion. They had appeared from the other side of a low hill, just high enough to conceal the monsters' approach. Yuffie fled down the slope, the grendel pursuing her. She quickly gained some distance on it, and turned to face the monster, determined not to run away even though she was unarmed. She imagined Seifer laughing at her and calling her a coward, and her lips tightened.

The grendel followed her slowly but doggedly on stumpy legs. Its tongue flicked out, lizard-like, as it tasted the air.

"Come and get me!" Yuffie yelled.

Her voice seemed to spur the monster into action. It hissed and scuttled towards her. Yuffie still held the materia and almost without thinking, she flung out her hand as though she was throwing her shuriken. The grendel snarled, revealing sharp fangs; the orb shot through the air–

She blinked. "Oops."


	16. A Rift Between Us

**16**

** A Rift Between Us**

A hot pain tore through his foreleg. But Nanaki's momentum continued to carry him forward; snarling in pain, he landed full force on the guard, knocking him over in an instant. Claws embedded in the man's chest, he tore at his throat. The guard let out a gurgling scream. The gun fell out of his limp hand.

Nanaki lifted his head, blood dripping from his muzzle. Across the road, two children stood at the edge of the pavement, staring at him. One of them whimpered, but neither seemed able to move. Nanaki looked at them for a moment, pity in his gaze, but then he licked his lips and hobbled around the guard's body, back towards the park. There were more pressing matters to deal with.

Vincent met him at the entrance to the park.

"I don't think any more will come, for now," said Nanaki.

"You're injured," said Vincent shortly.

He lifted up his forepaw and licked it awkwardly. "It's nothing. Just a gash."

"Is the bullet still embedded in your leg?"

"No, it tore straight through." The shot had left a deep gash near the top of his left foreleg, but he didn't think it was too serious.

Nonetheless, Vincent looked concerned. "I think we should get out of this city for the moment," he said. "You need to rest and recover."

"I can manage," he growled.

"You can manage well enough for us to leave. The sooner we vanish, the better."

He nodded. With the guards chasing them, they hadn't been able to concentrate much on their own search, although Nanaki felt sure that if they'd crossed a place where Cloud had been, he would have smelt it. He thought of all the civilians who had been sent into a panic by their presence.

"If we continue in this direction, we should reach the edge of the city eventually," said Vincent.

"And I'm not sure that I'll be turning back in a hurry," Nanaki growled. Still hobbling on three legs, he followed Vincent, hoping that he wouldn't have lost too much blood by the time they left the city.

* * *

Seifer strolled towards Yuffie, who was gawking at the choking monster in front of her. He seemed to realise what had happened because he rolled his eyes and said, "Great job, ninja girl."

One strike and a spurt of blood later, the grendel lay dead in the grass and Yuffie found her tongue.

"My materia…" she said forlornly.

"You said it didn't work anyway. No loss."

She glared at him. "You wouldn't understand!"

"You're clumsy and you screwed up. I get it. Now get over it."

He started walking away. Yuffie caught up and pouted at him. "This is no way to treat a girl, ya big bully! I need comforting right now, okay? If Cloud was here-"

"He'd give you a big hug and shower you with roses and make sparkles come out your ass 'cause he's just that awesome," said Seifer in a bored tone. "I get it. He's your knight in shining armour."

"Ninjas don't need knights."

"Yeah, 'cause you would've done just fine on your own."

She stuck out her tongue at him again. "Teamwork, remember? That thing you don't do? It's not about knights protecting helpless maidens or all that fairytale bullshit; I don't believe in that. It's about looking out for each other. You cover my ass and I'll cover yours. Get it?"

Seifer nodded, grinning. "All right. I get that too."

"At last. Gawd, you're slow."

"Gawd, you talk too much," he mimicked her.

She pushed him and ran ahead, looking back over her shoulder. "Says you! Still dying to talk to a babe like me?"

"How 'bout I just watch your ass from here?"

She saw where he was looking, turned around and started walking backwards with her hands on her hips. "You're _such_ a jerk."

Seifer grinned. "Daren't turn your back on me?"

"Oh, I-" Yuffie started her retort, but didn't finish it; instead, her foot tripped over a tussock and for the second time that day she tumbled down in an ungainly heap. Her smart comeback turned into a rather limp squeak. Seifer held out his hand to her with the air of a gentleman.

She looked it dubiously for a moment.

_You can keep that 'I'm a gentleman, but only when it suits me' crap,_ she thought_._ She took his hand, but rather than let him pull her up, she planted a foot in his stomach and shoved backwards, hard. Seifer yelped as she launched him over her head. He didn't go as far as she had expected, but Yuffie was still quick enough to roll to her feet and pounce on his stomach before he could move. She looked down at him with a smirk of her own.

"Dare call me clumsy now?"

Seifer lifted his head. Yuffie had him firmly pinned down and she clamped down his arms as well to prevent him trying any tricks on her. He didn't seem tense though; he smiled at her through tousled hair and she thought she heard respect in his voice.

"I might rethink that," he said.

"Good," said Yuffie, satisfied. She stood up and brushed the dirt off her clothes. Seifer did the same, eyeing the grass stains on his coat with disdain.

"I'll have to use the dry cleaners again."

"Your own fault for wearing white."

He grinned and she smiled back. They started walking beside each other, Yuffie feeling more at ease. _Maybe he's not that bad, after all_, she thought. _At least he has a sense of humour_. Balamb Garden was close. She would have to face all those stuck-up SeeDs again. With a small jolt of surprise, she realised that she preferred Seifer's company to Squall and the hostile SeeDs. She sensed that Seifer was a free spirit, like her. What was it like for him being stuck in Garden?

"You must really hate this place, huh?" said Yuffie, nodding towards the front gates of Garden.

"Hate it?" He snorted. "It's the only home I can remember."

She wanted to ask him more, but Seifer's eyes were suddenly hard and distant while his mouth was a grim line. He increased his stride as they reached the gates, where the SeeDs were waiting for them.

* * *

"Tell me what happened," said Squall.

Seifer and Yuffie were as brash as ever. Neither appeared to be injured. They had started arguing halfway across the front courtyard and didn't stop until they reached his office and he ordered them to give their report. _This isn't going to go well__, he thought._

As soon as Seifer and Yuffie answered him, he knew he was right. They couldn't get their facts straight. They talked over each other, interrupted each other and called each other names constantly. This irritated him so much that he crossed out the notes he had started to take and told them to shut up.

He turned his attention to Seifer. Seifer was a Garden student, after all, and technically under Squall's authority, whether he liked it or not.

"You're supposed to be a professional," said Squall. "I want a concise, _unbiased_ report. The facts. Nothing more."

"And that means getting my name right," Yuffie added.

"I want no interruptions," Squall continued. "If you have anything to add, say it after Seifer has finished."

Yuffie bristled but managed to restrain herself. He began to wish he hadn't put these two together; Seifer by himself was difficult enough to handle, but Yuffie couldn't keep her mouth shut either.

Seifer then delivered his report, and though he only stated the facts, he managed to state them in such a way as to make Yuffie elbow him a couple of times. Squall ignored that.

"Thank you," he said at last. "Seifer, could you escort Yuffie back to her room?"

Yuffie snorted. "Room? You mean that box you locked us up in?"

"No," he said, ignoring her tone. "You and Cloud have been assigned a room in the dormitories."

"And it would be my pleasure to take her there," said Seifer.

Squall wondered at that, but again he chose not to take notice. "Dismissed."

As the two of them walked out of the room, he quite distinctly heard Seifer say, "Hey, Yuffie, what do you know about Triple Triad?"

The question took him aback. He looked up in time to see Yuffie _smile_ at Seifer, and then they were gone. He stared after them for a moment before shaking his head. He had other things to worry about.

Frowning, he bent his head over his desk and looked over the notes he'd made during Seifer's report. Next to his scribbles, nestled by his pen holder as though it was just another bit of stationery, was a tiny vial full of clear liquid. Squall picked it up and stared at the poison. If it acted fast enough, Rinoa might have died before they could administer an antidote. The thought made him cold. He set the vial aside, making a mental note to tell Xu to dispose of it safely.

_At least that won't happen_, he thought. By telling him everything that had happened and handing over the poison, Yuffie had shown herself to be co-operative. For now, he had to assume their intentions were good. That meant he ought to uphold his side of the bargain. He drummed his fingers against the desk. _Who should I send on this rescue mission?_

* * *

The electric light cast an even glow over Quistis' sickly complexion. Her pale hair stuck to her face; she looked washed out. Rinoa held her hand, lost deep in thought. The only sound was the dull beeping of the heart monitor. It made her feel drowsy; she wondered how late it was…

"How is she?" a voice asked.

Rinoa looked up, startled. Seifer stood in the doorway, alone.

"Still stable." She managed a weak smile. Stable was better than deteriorating. Stable was good. She had to convince herself that Quistis would get better.

A thought struck her. "You're not here because you're injured again, are you?"

Seifer shook his head. "Actually, I was looking for you."

"So how did it go?"

He grinned. "Mission successful."

"Thank you!" She clapped her hands. At last, things were going right. "So Yuffie is all right, after all?"

"At least she didn't try to kill me," said Seifer wryly. "Did you want your materia back?"

"Oh – yes, please!"

"Sorry, but it got lost. A monster swallowed it." He laughed. "The ninja girl was pissed off."

Rinoa smiled, but a lump rose in her throat. Squall had entrusted the materia to her. She hadn't told him that she'd given it to Seifer. "Oh, dear," she said, trying to sound light-hearted. "But it all went okay otherwise?"

"Of course. I'm a professional, what do you expect? The ninja girl almost ruined it, but I was there to save the day."

"Good," said Rinoa, smiling. "Where are they now?"

He leaned against the doorway, frowning slightly. "Didn't you know? Squall decided to give them proper student accommodation for the night. He still ordered SeeDs to stand guard outside the door though."

"Well…" Rinoa twisted the ring on her finger. "I didn't get to see you come back. I've been here, with Quistis. Everyone else is busy, so I thought it was the least I could do for her."

"He still won't let you get involved."

"No… But you must have reported to him, right? Seifer… What did Squall say to you? You completed your mission. So is he going to make you a SeeD?"

Seifer shrugged. "I didn't ask him."

"Why not? I thought you really wanted to pass your SeeD test."

He shrugged again and looked away abruptly. The beeping of the heart monitor seemed to increase in volume the longer the silence went on. He was acting strange, she thought. She wondered what Squall had really said to him and what he and Yuffie had talked about during their mission. Her uncertainty made her hesitate, but just as Seifer seemed about to quit the room, she spoke up.

"Seifer – would you like me to talk to Squall for you? It's unfair if he doesn't want to promote you, even though you've turned over a new leaf."

He scowled. "Do what you want, Rinoa. I'm not gonna try to rule your life. Just remember who you're asking." He glanced over to Quistis, his frown fading for a moment, and then turned on his heel and left.

Rinoa stared after him. The chair was becoming uncomfortable. She shifted, leaning back with a sigh. She knew Seifer had changed. Even though it was bound to be awkward, he was trying, and she felt sure that they could be friends. Squall only needed a little persuasion.

* * *

Cloud sat at the table, frowning at the deck of cards. "Are you _sure_ the bite bug flips over the ruby dragon?"

"Yeah, yeah – see, the four and the two add up to six, which is more than four. So that flips over the ruby dragon and the ochu _and_ the cockatrice."

"What? Why?" he asked, bewildered, as Yuffie flipped all the cards on the board.

"Domino effect," said Yuffie smugly. "Seifer told me."

"But… how come when I turned over your ochu, it didn't flip the wendigo?"

"'Cause that's not how it works." Yuffie placed her final card on the board and grinned. "I win! Cough up the gil, loser!"

Cloud dug in his pocket for some loose change. His hand scraped only fabric. "Nice try, but you've already taken all my gil!"

Yuffie cackled. "And I didn't even have to steal it. One day you'll learn, Cloud. One day."

He shook his head and pushed his chair back. "I've had enough."

"Aw, come on! Don't be a sore loser!"

"I don't have anything more to lose."

Yuffie gathered up all the cards and shuffled the pack. She looked at him with beady eyes. "Nothing to lose, huh? I wouldn't bet on that. See, after that stupid monster swallowed my materia, I have a spare slot…"

He rolled his eyes. "It's not as if more materia will do you any good here."

"Oh, yeah – that reminds me! How did you get the materia to work, Cloud? I tried it again and it still wouldn't work!"

"Really?" He considered. Materia magic didn't seem to work in this world – at least, it hadn't worked for Yuffie and it had barely worked for him. Why? "Hmm… do you know how materia magic works, Yuffie?"

She put the cards down and frowned. "Wait – I remember being taught this…"

"Sephiroth told me. Materia uses the power of the Lifestream. Whenever you call forth magic, you connect with the Planet, drawing on its power – or so they say."

"Ah! So that's it!" she exclaimed. "It was like – I felt, I was reaching out, but there was nothing there! Gawd, what a bummer. Does that mean this world doesn't have a Lifestream?"

"I dunno. Maybe it does have a Lifestream, but different to ours."

"But how come you could cast magic?"

He shrugged. He thought back to the classroom, the way he had to concentrate so hard just to produce a very weak flame – outwards, there had been nothing, nothing to draw on, so the energy must have come from within… "It's me," he said, realising. "The materia must have reacted with the Mako inside me."

Yuffie looked sullen. "That is so unfair."

"But the spell was too weak to be useful." He smiled at her. "Don't worry, Yuffie. We can make do without materia."

"I s'pose." She sighed and started dealing the cards. "One more game?"

"I told you, I've had enough."

"It'll take your mind off things," said Yuffie.

It _had_ been a good distraction, he thought grudgingly. It had stopped him thinking about barging right up to Squall's office and demanding they set off at once to find Tifa, or simply leaving by himself, or wondering if Tifa was okay… if she would still be safe and whole by the time he found her. But he shook his head.

"It's getting late. We should prepare ourselves for tomorrow."

Yuffie stretched and yawned. "It'll be great to see Tifa again."

"Yeah."

"And then we can go back home and see everyone."

He looked down, avoiding her gaze. It brought a lump to his throat as he thought of the friends they had left behind. They had spent three days in this world so far, but it felt like much, much longer. He had spent weeks at a time apart from Tifa in the two years since they had defeated Sephiroth – what a fool he had been! He had wasted so much of the time they could have had together and now she was in a prison cell and they might never see each other again. Yuffie had warned him of the new deadline – they only had one chance to save her before Kelling realised what was going on.

He looked back at Yuffie, who was oddly quiet. Her eyes were downcast. Suddenly, she flicked away all the cards, which scattered over the table and floor. When she looked up again, her eyes were glistening.

"I miss them," she muttered. "I miss Wutai and everyone back home and materia and the Lifestream and the whole Planet-"

Cloud shifted his chair and reached out for her. "Shh… this isn't like you, Yuffie."

She moved from her seat next to him and leaned her head against his chest. He put his arm around her.

"Cloud, you're the only one – the only one who reminds me of home."

The truth of her words hit him powerfully and he felt his own eyes prickle.

"We'll see them again soon," he said, mechanically.

"Yeah, I know we will." Her voice held more conviction than his. "But… oh – your pockets really are empty."

It took Cloud a split second to realise what she had said. As soon as he did, he pushed her off and stood up. "You were pretending?"

"No!" Yuffie protested. "I really am upset. Just couldn't help myself." She laughed weakly and wiped her face.

He could only give her a confused look.

"Anyway, I feel better now," she continued.

"Why?" he asked suspiciously.

She wagged her finger at him. "Stress relief. It helps to get it all out. You should try it some time."

Cloud was unconvinced but he let it pass.

"I can sleep now," she said. "Good night, Cloud."

"Good night."

* * *

Squall sat up in the bed, leaning against the pillow with his arms folded. "I told you not to go near them."

Rinoa flitted around the room, picking up a hairbrush here, shutting a drawer there. Her nightdress floated about her, while the lamplight picked up the highlights in her hair. When he spoke, she deliberately turned her back and looked into the mirror opposite him instead. She started brushing her hair before replying.

"It was my decision, Squall. I had to face him."

"Why?"

Her eyes watched his reflection in the mirror. He could just see his face, hard and cold. She looked down again.

"If you can't understand that…"

"Why? You could have waited. All you had to do was wait until we'd found out for certain whether they were trustworthy or not."

"Sometimes you have to take risks."

"Except you don't. And you went behind my _back_ – with Seifer-"

Her fist tightened around the hairbrush. She put it down on the dresser and turned towards him. "So I'm not allowed to do anything of my own free will? God, Squall, I asked you to be my knight, not my prison guard! You're acting like my father!"

That stung. "I'm not like your father," he said stiffly.

"Then you should respect my decisions." Her face softened a little as she came over and climbed into the bed. "You don't have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, you know. We can all help. I'm a big girl. I know when I take a risk… it's not like we've never been in any danger before, right? And I've grown stronger since we first met."

"I was… afraid for you. If I let Seifer lead you into trouble… I don't know how I could forgive myself."

"Seifer wouldn't lead me into trouble. You should promote him, you know."

"You have got to be joking," he said.

She sat up and tucked her knees beneath her, a familiar determined glint in her eye. "I think you're being unfair on him, Squall. Ever since he came back, he's never done anything to hurt any of us; he's tried to make amends – but you always cold shoulder him-"

An acidic feeling burned in the pit of his stomach. He folded his arms and tried to control himself, but the feeling rumbled its way up to his chest and then his throat. "If you care about him so much, go back to him if you want," he snarled. "Go on, get out! I'm sure he'll be happy to have you."

Rinoa flared up at once. "Don't be stupid!" She ripped the bed covers aside, jumped out and marched into the adjoining bathroom. Her voice echoed from inside it.

"You're not the only one who's had a difficult time! You don't talk to me, you hardly see me, this is the only chance we have to talk-"

He couldn't believe how unfair she was being. "In case you haven't noticed, Rinoa, I've been busy! I'm trying to sort out this mess."

She poked her head back around the door, spots of fury in her cheeks. "And I'm trying to help you! But I feel like I'm all on my own because you want to cut me off."

"No, I want to protect you!"

"You're not the only one who wants to protect me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means we have friends who help us. You stopped Cloud and I'm happy about that, but if it wasn't for Selphie, Irvine and Quistis, I still would have died. You're grateful to them, aren't you?"

"Of course I am."

"Seifer delayed them too. He was looking out for me. Why can't you admit that?"

The truth was that he didn't like being in Seifer's debt. And he hated, _hated_, this feeling of jealousy, the possessiveness that possessed him whenever he and Rinoa were together. But he didn't want to say that, so he searched for more ammo to hit her with.

"You're the ungrateful one," he shot at her. "I saved you, I comforted you – I stayed with you like I promised, and all you can do is run away and put yourself in danger. You're not making my job any easier-"

"What am I, a contract?" She picked up her hairbrush and looked as though she might throw it at him.

"No, I didn't mean that…"

"What did you mean? Spit it out!"

"Everything I've done, I did because I care about you! I'm not going to apologise for that."

"Silly!" said Rinoa, forcing out a choked laugh. She put the hairbrush down. "What I've done is exactly the same. I shouldn't have to say this, but I don't see Seifer as any more than a friend. I talked to him for _you_. It was all for you." She sighed. "I don't want to fight over this."

He nodded. The thumping of his heart slowed down a little.

"Neither do I." He held out his hand towards her, noticing the glint of the ring on his hand. It was a reminder of the commitment they had made. The gesture made her smile. Stretching, she yawned and climbed back into their bed. She snuggled against him. He liked to hold her in his arms; that meant she was safe, protected.

But the memory remained fresh: that terrible pang of fear he had felt when Rinoa ventured near Cloud, and at the same time, the jealousy that rose up within him when he saw Seifer and Rinoa together. It was an ugly combination. Still, she was here now. His fear appeared to have been unfounded. And she was with him, not Seifer; she came to his bed every night, and her long hair brushed against his chin and her hands wrapped around his body and she whispered into his ear.

"Squall?"

"Hmm?"

"Are we going to give Angelo a funeral?"

"I don't know…" He honestly hadn't considered it; he had been more preoccupied with keeping the living alive than caring for a dead pet.

"They're going to cremate him… I thought we might scatter his ashes in the quad. I always used to take him for walks there…" She sniffed.

"I'll make arrangements," Squall promised.

"Thank you."


	17. Expedition

**17**

** Expedition**

A small fire crackled, growing brighter as the sky darkened. Nanaki curled up close to it, enjoying the heat. Vincent had tended his wound and now he sat opposite him, his eyes downcast. They didn't speak.

The moon rose – a large, gibbous moon. It looked bigger than he had expected, and something about it made him uneasy. This was not the same moon he howled to when it shone bright and full. He did not feel the lunar pull tugging at his fur or giving him strength. It was just another in a long list of unexplained things: the foreign city, the taste of the air, the way the grass swayed in the breeze.

He didn't know what this place was, but he knew for certain that humans had brought them here. That was one thing that didn't change: the humans with their love of experiments and their probing into nature's secrets best left undisturbed. They fought just the same and they died just the same as well.

He thought of the guard he had killed. Nanaki had tasted human blood before and this was no different. But he wished the children hadn't witnessed that. Those children across the road, the small humans playing in the park, the little girl at the train station – they would all have nightmares now, of a red beast with sharp claws and bloodstained fangs.

It wasn't the way he wanted to be remembered.

"Were our battles today honourable?" Nanaki asked.

Vincent stirred. "No. But they were necessary."

Yet Nanaki couldn't shake off the horrible feeling he had. He stood up, stretched, and paced about. Vincent watched him in silence. Eventually, after Nanaki had traced the exact same circular path so many times that his paw prints were clearly visible, he spoke again.

"Is something wrong?"

"It's all wrong," Nanaki muttered. "At first I thought it was just the laboratory making me feel that way, but it isn't; it's more than that."

"It must be the place," said Vincent. "None of this terrain is familiar to me. A city this large we would surely have heard of…"

"It's not just the terrain," Nanaki insisted. "Can't you smell it?"

"Smell what?"

_Humans and their weak noses_, Nanaki thought. But this sense he had went deeper than smell. He felt it in the bones of his body, in every ripple of his muscles and every breath. But he didn't know how to express this to Vincent, whose cold face and mechanical hand spoke clearly of a body disconnected from things of nature. Vincent couldn't feel it; of that, he was sure.

"You'll pick up the scent again," said Vincent. "We can look in the morning."

Nanaki shook his head. Vincent must have mistaken his behaviour for anxiety about their missing friends.

"It's not that," he said. "I know we can find them, sooner or later. It's… It's…" He paused, still struggling for the right words. "You felt it in the instant before we woke up in the lab. Something disrupted the Lifestream."

Vincent nodded. "I felt something... like a hole. A rift, perhaps, and it pulled us through."

His red, unnatural eyes burned with cold curiosity as he regarded Nanaki. When he said 'I', Nanaki wondered, did he really mean himself or had the creatures inside him whispered to him, sensing the spirit energy flicker around them? A gap in the flow of souls… His fur tingled. Suddenly, he understood. And although the firelight was very warm, Nanaki shivered.

"I know," he whispered. "I realise it now. This isn't our Planet. I can't sense the Lifestream. Oh, Grandfather, our souls…"

"Hmm," said Vincent. "We are further from home than we thought."

How he could speak with such detachment, Nanaki couldn't fathom. His own fur bristled and his tail lashed uncontrollably. "It's worse than that," he replied, trembling. "Like Jenova infecting our Planet with her foreign matter, we are aliens here. And if we die, our spirits will be unable to return to the Lifestream. They'll corrupt this world instead."

Vincent raised his eyebrows. "Then we had better make sure we don't die here.".

* * *

The parking lot was dark and smoky. Hard concrete met the tarmac road, which disappeared into a tunnel of blackness. A dirty green truck waited for them, its patchy bodywork creating a camouflage effect. Selphie perched on the back of the truck, swinging her legs. She wore knee-high length brown boots and her nunchaku hung from her hip. In front of her, Irvine and Squall were conversing in low voices.

Cloud stood up straight and took a step forward towards them, his eyes narrowed and his shoulders squared.

"Where's my sword?"

The SeeDs broke off their conversation. Their heads turned to face him and he noticed the way each of their bodies tensed.

Squall glared at him. "It's in our possession."

"I want it back."

"You can't have it."

"Why not?"

"I won't compromise my SeeDs' safety," Squall snapped. "Irvine and Selphie are more than able to deal with any trouble. You won't need to fight."

Cloud sighed. The commander still didn't trust him; that was obvious.

"It's in my best interest to co-operate," he pointed out. "You don't even know Tifa, but she means everything to me. She's…"

"Your girlfriend?" Selphie suggested.

Irvine raised an eyebrow. "Gorgeous?"

"An accomplice?" asked Squall testily.

"No," he said, narrowing his eyes at Squall. "She's… family."

"We have everything arranged," said Squall, as though he hadn't spoken. "Your presence is unnecessary, but…" He paused and folded his arms awkwardly. "I understand that you want to be there and see her yourself."

His voice was softer, less clipped. They regarded each other and both nodded slightly. For the first time, a flicker of understanding passed between them. Squall cared deeply about Rinoa, Cloud could tell. _He cares about her as much as I care about Tifa. And we would both kill each other to save them._ The irony didn't escape him. Perhaps they were more alike than he had thought.

Then Squall looked away and the moment passed. He turned to Selphie and Irvine. "Good luck. You know what to do."

"Yes, sir!"

"Booyaka!"

* * *

Earlier that morning, two SeeDs had brought them breakfast directly to their rooms.

"You're to meet the Commander in the parking lot," one of them said to Cloud. "Yuffie will stay here."

She had moaned a little, but more for the sake of moaning than anything else. It was right that Cloud should go and save Tifa himself, and now it was Yuffie's turn to play the hostage. After he had gone, Yuffie tried several things to keep herself occupied. First she picked up the cards and tried to make a tower, but they kept falling down and she didn't have the patience to persevere. Then she went into the bathroom and washed her hair. Then she tried to do cartwheels around the room but there wasn't really enough space. Finally she crawled under her bed, hoping to uncover something exciting, and found a discarded magazine. She brought it out, sneezing as the dust got into her nostrils, and opened the magazine on her bed, only to discover that she was reading a copy of _Girl Next Door_.

It was a relief, therefore, when a knock came at the door. Yuffie didn't care who it was; she was so bored she would talk to anyone. She left the magazine on the bed and bounced over to answer it.

"Oh, look, it's Mr Jerk of the Century."

"Good morning, Little Miss Ninja." He walked in without invitation. "I didn't think you'd have many visitors."

She raised her eyebrows. "And you wanted to see me?"

Seifer looked at her failed card tower. "No, I wanted these back."

Yuffie sat down at the table, crossed her arms and her legs, and glared at him. "Fine. Have them. I guess I'll just die of boredom."

"Oh, we couldn't have that now, could we?" He slid into the chair opposite her.

"Nope, we couldn't. Hey, who's 'we' anyway?"

He shrugged.

"Shouldn't you be with your friends? Fujin and… that other guy?"

"You want me to leave?"

"No," she said hastily.

"Good." He leaned back on his chair so that it balanced on its two back legs and stretched his long legs out under the table. He seemed relaxed but she had sensed a slight flicker in his expression when she had mentioned his friends. Yuffie had never been afraid to pry, so with her usual bluntness she asked him, "Did something happen between you guys?"

"No," he said casually – too casually, she thought. "Anyway," he went on, before she could do any more than raise her eyebrows at him, "I want to know more about your world."

"That's weird," she said.

He gave her a questioning look.

"I had you down as a guy who always likes to talk about himself." She grinned at him and he laughed.

"And maybe you would have been right, once." He shrugged and that bitter tone entered his voice again. "But when you've done nothing, there's nothing to say. So tell me about your world."

Yuffie needed no further prompting. It made her happier to be talking about her friends back home; she felt closer to them that way. But as she chattered, part of her mind still studied Seifer. Had that been self-loathing in his voice? Self-loathing mixed with arrogance: a peculiar combination. She had seen it only once or twice; he didn't let it slip often. Her eyes kept straying to the scar on his forehead. It was the mirror of Squall's. _Something_ had happened between them, she knew it. She wished that Selphie had told her more. But Squall had ended up in charge of Garden and engaged to Rinoa, while Seifer was still a student. It was obvious who had come off worst – no wonder he was so bitter. He had been going to tell her as well and she had brushed him off…

She broke off her description of Cosmo Canyon ("it's kinda big and sandy and there's this giant telescope thing on the cliff, to look at the stars…"), and decided to ask him.

"Did you forget something?" Seifer asked, noticing her hesitation. "The GF do that; they make you forget things… If they have GFs in your world."

"No, we don't," she said. "At least, I don't think we call them that – but we can summon monsters using materia."

"Sounds handy, this materia."

"It is," Yuffie agreed. "I have lots of it back home. But I wanna know your story."

"My story? I already told you and you said you weren't interested."

She leaned back on her chair, imitating Seifer, and fiddled with her hair. "Okay, so I was lying. I do wanna hear it, as long as it's not too boring."

He smiled – a genuine smile, not a smirk, one that reached his eyes. It made his carved features look much friendlier.

"All right – but you finish your story first. As long as it's not too boring."

"You got yourself a deal," said Yuffie. "And I bet my story is more interesting than yours."

"Bet it isn't."

"Bet it is."

"How much?"

She pulled out the gil she had earned from Cloud and counted out the money. "Eighty nine gil."

"You're on," said Seifer, fishing in his own pockets, and they both grinned at each other.

* * *

"On the road again," Selphie sang. "On the road again. Trip, trip, trip, trip, tripping away, who knows where we'll go, who knows where we'll stay…"

The truck sped on the road that led away from the city. Selphie was driving, in high spirits, and Irvine sat next to her, consulting a map. Cloud was sprawled at the back, in the open. He breathed in the fresh air and tried to calm his nerves. Now was not the time to get travel sick.

Irvine craned his head around towards Cloud. "All right back there?"

"Yeah. How far away is this prison?"

"Pretty far. With the way Selphie drives, it should take three, four hours tops."

Cloud groaned and pressed his hand to his forehead.

"Something wrong?" Irvine asked.

"I get travel sick," he admitted.

Irvine looked surprised. "That's unexpected, a tough guy like you. I guess we all have our weaknesses."

Selphie had stopped singing to listen to their conversation. She eyed Cloud through the rear view mirror.

"Tell him the mission brief, Irvy," she ordered.

"Oh, right." Irvine folded up the map and pulled out a sheaf of papers from beneath it. He flicked through them. "Listen up, Cloud. We're on a double rescue mission today. Your chick, Tifa, with special permission from the Galbadian leader himself, plus a contract from Laguna – the President of Esthar. He asked SeeD to rescue a spy a couple of days ago. We've got the release papers for both of them right here, signed and validated."

"Who else are you rescuing?" Cloud asked.

"Guy called Watts. Don't worry," Irvine added, seeing the expression on Cloud's face, "this won't make any difference to our chances of getting Tifa out. We stroll in, show the release forms, and the guards hand over the prisoners. Easy."

"You're sure those papers mean the guards have to let Tifa go straight away?"

"Yeah. Come on, man, loosen up. Caraway made it easy for us – like I said, he signed them himself." Irvine grinned. "And if the guards make any trouble, I'll set Selphie on them."

Cloud saw a flash of teeth reflected in the rear view mirror as Selphie grinned too. He had no doubt that Selphie could fight, despite her deceptively small stature. Irvine made it sound so simple. He leaned back and stared out at the rough terrain. The early morning sun cast a pale light over the sweeping countryside. Tifa would enjoy the sight, he thought. But despite the SeeDs' confidence, Cloud knew he wouldn't be able to relax until Tifa was riding back with them.

* * *

After he had seen off Irvine, Selphie and Cloud, Squall went to the infirmary to visit Quistis. His mind was already filled with worries about what might go wrong on this rescue mission. But Irvine and Selphie were two of his best SeeDs. They knew what they were doing. He was so preoccupied, he almost bumped into Doctor Kadowaki.

"Sorry!" he said.

"Never mind, never mind," she said. "Have you come to see Quistis?"

He nodded. "Selphie told me that she's starting to recover."

The doctor smiled. "And Selphie is quite right. She's out of danger now, though it'll take some time for her to recover completely. She wants to see you."

"She's conscious?"

"Yes."

Squall hurried into the ward. There he found Quistis sitting up with the pillows propped behind her. She still looked pale and hollow-cheeked, but she was smiling. Rinoa perched on the visitor's chair beside her.

"Squall," said Quistis. "I was wondering when you'd take time out of your busy schedule to see me." She didn't say it unkindly; there was a teasing look in her eye.

"I'm here now," he said. Rinoa moved over to let him share the seat with her. "How are you?"

She laughed. "I've felt better."

"A few potions will get you sorted out," said Rinoa soothingly.

"My wounds are all healed, but they can't replace the blood loss. For that, I'll just have to wait."

"I've been telling Quistis what happened," said Rinoa.

"Is she telling the truth, Squall, or am I hearing things through a drug overdose?"

"She's telling the truth," said Squall. "Thank you for saving her, Quistis. If it wasn't for you, Cloud would have killed her."

Quistis chuckled. "I couldn't possibly let you two lovebirds be separated. I was only doing my duty."

He nodded. "I know."

She turned her head to the little cabinet next to the bed. Even such a small effort appeared to tire her, he saw – she moved so slowly, not like the confident, graceful Quistis he knew.

"Who brought the flowers?"

The surface of the cabinet was covered in get-well gifts – flowers, cards, grapes and chocolates. Squall hadn't thought to bring anything. He grimaced as he took in the pungent odour of a particularly gaudy bunch of pink flowers. Rinoa took out a little white card from the flowers and read the message.

"'Dear Quistis, hope you get well soon, we love you! Hugs and kisses, the Trepies.'"

"Ah." Quistis settled down again. "That's nice of them."

"Selphie brought you chocolates," Rinoa went on. "And that card there, that's from Squall and me." She glanced at Squall, who tried to look as though he'd known this all along. "Oh, and here's a card from Seifer. 'To Quistis, You'd better not snuff it, I hate funerals. From Seifer.'" She paused, clearly unsure how to react.

"Well, the sentiment's there, I suppose." Quistis yawned.

"Are you tired?" Rinoa asked at once. "Would you like some rest now?"

She smiled. "I feel as though I'm under a constant sleep spell. It must be the drugs… Well, thank you for coming to see me, Squall."

"I'm glad you're getting better," he said. "You should rest; it'll help."

"I'm sorry… I can't stay awake…" She yawned again and then shut her eyes. After a minute, Rinoa moved the pillows and tucked in the sheets, to make Quistis comfortable.

"Will you come with me to the quad now?" she asked him softly.

Squall opened his mouth to refuse, and then remembered what she was referring to. He had asked Xu to make arrangements for Rinoa's pet, and Xu had done so with her usual efficiency. He had to make time for Rinoa now – he knew this was important to her. Their argument last night seemed to hang over his head. He had to make it up to her.

"Yes," he said, "I'll come."

* * *

The truck bounced over the dunes, throwing up sand in gritty swirls. Cloud breathed in the arid air; his throat was dry but his skin felt hot and clammy. He had long since decided that Selphie was insane. The harder she pressed on the accelerator, the happier she seemed. This wasn't so bad on the road but whenever they took a short cut across rougher terrain, Cloud found himself fearing for his life. During the most dangerous moments, when the truck juddered up and down like a rollercoaster, Selphie shrieked, "Whoo-hoo!" and Irvine laughed along with her.

A huge dune loomed up in front of them; Selphie yanked the steering wheel and the truck swerved so sharply that the vehicle tilted on two wheels for a second. Cloud clung to the side of the truck, shut his eyes and concentrated on breathing. His heart was thumping and his head pounding.

He was relieved when he heard Irvine say, "We're here!" and felt the truck ground to a halt. The sound of doors opening told him that the SeeDs had clambered out. He stretched his cramped muscles.

Irvine's face appeared at the back of the truck. He peered at Cloud.

"Man, you're green," he said. "Selphie!" he called behind him. "We need some healing magic, pronto!"

Selphie walked around and examined him. "Aren't you feeling well?"

"Not… really," he muttered.

"Don't worry, I'll fix you," she said brightly. She lifted her arms and he felt the magic rise around her. The Esuna spell cleared his head and stopped his insides churning.

"Thanks," said Cloud. He climbed out and looked around. They had parked outside the entrance to a compound. A large steel fence stretched out as far as he could see; two guards watched them from behind a rickety gate, waiting for their approach. Behind them a tower stretched into the pale sky.

"This is D-District Prison," Irvine informed him.

Cloud scuffed the sand with the heel of his boot. "A desert prison," he commented. "Some things never change."

Selphie looked around, fidgeting. "Do you think we should wait?"

"Wait?" said Cloud. "What for?"

"Zell was supposed to meet us here," she told him. "But I can't see him…"

"He'll arrive soon," Irvine reassured her. He tipped his hat to avoid the glare from the sun and glanced towards the guards. "We can meet him outside when we're done."

"Okay," said Selphie.

"Who's Zell?" Cloud asked. "Another SeeD?"

"Yeah," said Irvine. He looked at Cloud apologetically. "Squall asked him to wait here, in case there was trouble."

Cloud didn't ask any more. He knew that by 'trouble', Irvine meant him and not the prison guards. He folded his arms.

"Let's go," said Irvine.

They walked up to the guards at the gate, Cloud slightly behind the others. Selphie's nunchaku hung on her back and Irvine's gun was hidden beneath his coat, but he knew they were ready to draw their weapons at a moment's notice. _If it comes to a fight_, Cloud thought, _I can use my fists_. He silently wished that he had asked Tifa to teach him martial arts. She was far more useful without a weapon than he was.

The first blue-uniformed guard stepped forward and peered at them from behind the gate. "SeeDs, are you?" he grunted, looking them up and down.

"You got it," said Irvine smoothly. "We're here at the request of General Caraway himself. He hired us to release two prisoners – here are the papers." He pulled them out of his coat and showed them to the guard, who scrutinised them with great care.

"It looks genuine," said the guard, beckoning his companion, who also came forward. The second guard nodded. "All right, then," said the first guard, "you can go in. Ask for Declam – he'll take you to the prisoners."

"Thanks," said Irvine. He tipped his hat to the guards. As the gate clanked open, Irvine looked back and winked at the two of them.

Cloud still did not share the SeeD's confidence; he looked back at Irvine, unsmiling, as the three of them walked in. He felt light and exposed without the weight of his sword on his back. Selphie skipped forward with barely contained energy.

"Wait up!" Irvine called.

Selphie turned back at the entrance. "I remember this place, Irvy! Don't you remember – how we made our grand escape! I wrote it all down in my diary so I wouldn't forget!" She ran forward, her voice echoing inside the prison.

"Is she always like this?" Cloud asked.

Irvine smiled. "Pretty much. When she junctions too many GFs, the buzz makes her hyper."

"So you both have GFs junctioned?" Cloud asked, trying to remember the notes on GFs he had read back in the house.

"Yeah. Selphie's got three at the moment, including Bahamut, so she's practically sizzling."

Cloud did a mental double take when he heard the name, but he kept his expression neutral. The two worlds had many things in common, he could tell that – after all, they were speaking the same language. He wondered if it meant there was some deeper connection or if it was just a coincidence.

They entered the bottom floor of the prison to find themselves in some sort of control room. The walls gleamed blackly and lights from a computer terminal flashed and beeped. Selphie was already talking to a grey-clothed man who wore a blue cap. Her hands flapped in the air emphatically as she spoke, but the man was shaking his head. She turned and saw Irvine.

"Irvine, come and show him the release papers!"

Cloud and Irvine both approached the man, who wiped his forehead and took a step back when he saw them. He took the papers and read through them, then bent down to a computer terminal and pressed some keys.

"Watts… Watts…" he murmured.

"This is Declam, right?" Irvine whispered.

"Yeah, yeah," said Selphie, "he was right here when I came in. They have all the prisoners on record, look." The glow from the screen lit up her excited face as she tried to read the names herself.

Declam glared at her from beneath bushy eyebrows, and Selphie retreated slightly. "Ah," he said, "here's Watts. Fourth floor, Cell Eight. Would you like our guards to bring him here for you?"

Selphie and Irvine looked at each other.

"All right," said Irvine.

Declam nodded. He called two more guards from the next room and ordered them to fetch the prisoner. Then he looked back at the release papers.

"Now… Tifa Lockhart…"

Cloud's heart jumped. He resisted the urge to lean over Declam while he searched the database, as the old man didn't seem to appreciate it. The man's hands flew over the keyboard. He stared at the screen and frowned. Cloud's heart continued to beat fast and he felt his breath hitch. Declam was taking much longer with this search…

Selphie was fidgeting again. Irvine put his arm around her. Another pang tugged at Cloud's heart as he watched the two of them together.

Declam's frown deepened. He stopped his search and looked back at the SeeDs. "She's not here."

"What?" said Cloud.

"She's not here, sonny. We have no prisoner named Tifa Lockhart. Sorry, but you're out of luck."


	18. D District Prison

**18**

**D-District Prison**

Each word was like a piercing blow to Cloud. He didn't know what to say, what to do – all he could think was, _I've lost her, I've lost her_, over and over again. He licked his lips, feeling numb with shock, and then anger hit him full force. He turned on the SeeDs.

"You told me she'd be here!"

Selphie bit her lip and fidgeted some more. Irvine looked worried as well.

"We thought she was here," he said. "I'm sorry, man…"

"You're sorry! What use is that?" His fury blazed inside him; he felt as though it was eating him up, but he preferred this rage to the despair which waited to overtake him at any moment. He balled his hands into fists and glowered at them. Declam looked from Cloud to the SeeDs, alarmed.

"No, Cloud, wait!" Selphie cried. "She might be here – check again!" she added to Declam.

The old man shook his head at her. "I know how to work my own database, missy. There's no one by the name of Tifa Lockhart here."

For a split second, Cloud was tempted to attack them. He wanted to shake the old man, shake him until he changed his mind and remembered that Tifa was here after all. Instead, he turned around and shrank back against the wall.

"I've failed her," he whispered. "It's my fault… All my fault." He blinked tears out of his eyes. Irvine and Selphie both stared at him. They looked as though they didn't know what to say.

Declam frowned. "You are all SeeDs, aren't you? Is this Tifa Lockhart a colleague of yours?"

"You could say that," said Irvine uneasily. "Are you sure she's not here?"

"Yes, I've told you enough times!" Declam looked up as the elevator whirred into action. The noise snapped Cloud out of his misery for a moment; he stared at the elevator through a haze of tears. The contraption looked more like a mobile prison cell: huge and black, it moved noisily down to the bottom floor. The door slid open and two guards walked out, accompanied by a prisoner – a young man wearing a brown jacket over a scruffy white shirt.

"Watts!" said Selphie.

"Well, there's one of your prisoners, anyway," Declam muttered. "One outta two ain't bad."

Watts stepped forward, smiling, and the guards let him go. "Selphie! Irvine! Is that really you?"

"It's great to see you!" Selphie and Watts hugged, then he shook hands with Irvine. Watts' face wore a big smile; he couldn't stop grinning. It made Cloud feel even worse by contrast, as he endured the happy reunion playing out in front of him.

Selphie started to ask Watts how he was, but her attention was caught by one of the blue-uniformed guards who had escorted him. This guard was staring at Cloud, open-mouthed. Cloud could almost feel the intensity of his gaze behind the helmet.

"Cl-cloud?" said the guard.

Cloud almost reached for his sword, before remembering that he was unarmed. "How do you know my name?"

"It's me – Wedge!"

The name reignited the fire burning through his body; Cloud suppressed the urge to slam Wedge against the wall and demand to see Tifa. He recognised Wedge's voice now, as the soldier who had escorted them to the house in the city. And if Wedge was here, did that mean Tifa…?

Irvine looked back and forth between them curiously. Selphie had drawn her weapon, her eyes bright and alert.

"How do you guys know each other?" she asked, but Cloud talked over her.

"Tifa!" he said. "Tell me where Tifa is!"

He expected Wedge to refuse, to call security, so they would have to fight it out. Instead, to his surprise, Wedge nodded.

"I'll take you to her," he said.

Declam held up a gnarled hand. "Wait a sec," he said. "Wedge, this can't be right, her name isn't on the database…"

"I know it isn't, sir," Wedge replied. "Tifa's identity is classified. She's listed as an unnamed prisoner."

"_Classified identity_?" Declam repeated. "The release form doesn't say anything about a classified identity."

"Let's go," said Cloud to Wedge, ignoring the other man.

Wedge nodded, but Declam grabbed his arm. He glared at the soldier. "Wait! The identities of the unnamed prisoners are closely guarded – how do you know her real name? For all I know, you could be bringing down any old criminal."

"I know who she is because my boss sent me specially to guard her!" Wedge snapped.

"Your boss?" said Irvine, who looked thoroughly confused by the proceedings.

"He works for Kelling," said Cloud, working hard to keep the contempt out of his voice.

Comprehension dawned on the two SeeDs' faces. Selphie gestured at Cloud while Wedge wasn't looking and mouthed, "Wanna get him?"

Cloud shook his head. "Not yet."

Meanwhile, Declam was still being stubborn. "Who's your superior? Biggs, is it? I should be having a word with him…"

"He's guarding Tifa right now, sir," said Wedge. "I'll go and inform him, if that's all right."

"You don't have to tell him nothing; these papers don't mention an unnamed prisoner – I can't be authorising the release of a woman whose identity is unconfirmed-"

"Look," said Irvine. He held out an arm to prevent Selphie from swinging her nunchaku and at the same time cast a warning glance at Cloud, who had been eyeing the second guard and wondering if it would be easier to knock them all out. "How about Cloud and Wedge go fetch Tifa for us, while we work out this little problem with the release form together. I'm sure we can come to an agreement."

Declam opened his mouth, apparently about to object, but then he noticed Irvine's hand resting casually on his holster and next to him Selphie cracked her nunchaku on the floor. He shut his mouth.

"Thanks," said Cloud.

"Follow me," said Wedge. "There's no need to wait up for me, Carrier," he added to the guard next to him, "I can deal with this myself."

Wedge headed back into the elevator and Cloud followed him. He looked back and saw Irvine and Selphie whispering together with Watts. Declam was still frowning, his attention on the computer screen. As Wedge pressed a button, the elevator door started to slide shut, cutting off the scene. Irvine nodded at Selphie – they seemed to have come to an agreement, because he abruptly strode towards the elevator and his fingers just reached it before the doors closed. He slipped inside, smiling at them. Cloud raised his eyebrows.

"I changed my mind – thought I ought to come along," Irvine explained. "Selphie and Watts can handle things downstairs."

The elevator juddered as it started moving. Cloud immediately turned to Wedge.

"Why are you helping us? I thought you were one of Kelling's lackeys."

"I am – I mean, I do work for Kelling, but I want to help you."

"Why?"

"I – I just do. You – you didn't do what Kelling wanted, did you? You came to rescue her…"

The elevator came to a halt and the doors opened.

"There's no time to explain," Wedge said urgently, the stammer in his voice lost. "Wait here, on this floor. Tifa's on the floor below, but Biggs is guarding her. I'll get rid of him for you."

He hurried off down the stairwell, leaving Irvine and Cloud standing in front of the elevator, which moved up out of sight. There were two guards on the other side of the circular floor, but both ignored them – because they had seen Wedge accompanying them, Cloud supposed.

"Do you think he really is gonna help us?" Irvine asked, voicing Cloud's doubts.

"I dunno," said Cloud, "but if he was going to betray us, then why hasn't he already done it? He could have turned me in as soon as he recognised me."

Irvine nodded. "Good point."

An awkward silence descended for a short time. Cloud sensed that Irvine was watching him and suddenly he knew the real reason Irvine had 'changed his mind'. He hadn't wanted to risk Cloud and Wedge going to rescue Tifa by themselves. This lack of trust was disconcerting. He was used to a band of friends he could rely on – they all knew and trusted each other, and even a few setbacks (Yuffie's betrayal being a notable example) hadn't prevented him from trusting them. But this was a different world: a world of young people hired as contract killers; they worked for money and Cloud knew that mercenaries were loyal only to the money and not to the cause they fought for.

"So, like, is she really important to you, this Tifa chick?" Irvine asked, in an attempt to make conversation.

"Yes," said Cloud shortly. He didn't feel like discussing his feelings about Tifa to this SeeD.

"And they knew that – Kelling's people."

"Yeah."

"But if they just pulled you from another world, how did they know?"

Cloud had wondered that right at the beginning, when he had first woken up in this world, but he hadn't dwelled much on it since. "I don't know," he said. "I think they had a way to monitor my world somehow. They've been watching me." It made him shiver to think of it: people from another world spying on his movements.

Irvine shook his head. "It's so – wild, all this stuff. I can't think of any other word to describe it. But you know what – I didn't find it too hard to believe you because we've been through some real crazy stuff. When you've been to the future, then you know anything's possible."

"To the future?" Cloud echoed.

Irvine grinned. "I'll tell you later. I think I can hear someone coming up the stairwell."

* * *

They had walked around the edge of the city all morning, searching for a scent with no success. If Cloud, Tifa and Yuffie had left the city, Nanaki reasoned, there would probably be some trace of it. Then again, if they had taken a train, there would be no sign.

Vincent stalked through the wasteland next to him, his gaze distant. Nanaki envied him his height; down near the ground, the stink of the city edge was all too apparent and he had to pick his way through scrub mixed with rubble, broken bottles and rubbish. But he persevered, not wanting to voice the possibility that they might never find their friends.

He padded over to the entrance of an alley, sniffing the ground.

"Blood was spilt here," he said. "Perhaps since only yesterday." Faint traces of the blood were still visible on the concrete.

"Muggers most likely," said Vincent, uninterested.

"Wait…" He ran around in a circle, searching for that elusive scent. He had caught a trace of something then – something that smelled familiar… "I want to go through this alley."

Vincent made no objection. Nanaki started running, feeling almost giddy. A certain ninja had been in this alley, he was almost certain of it. She smelled of materia and Wutai and greed. He emerged from the alley into a deserted street and the wind blew its fragrance towards him. Nanaki breathed it all in, licking his lips, patient enough to let the scents identify themselves. The usual smell of the city… tar, grass, smoke, humans, metal… And Mako!

"Cloud was here!" he yapped. "Cloud walked on this street!"

_Crack_. Nanaki jumped, his fur bristling. He saw Vincent cradling his arm.

"Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," said Vincent grimly. "There, in the window."

Nanaki looked up and caught a glimpse of the marksman before the figure ducked out of sight. He snarled. "I'll get him."

Vincent had his gun trained on the windows, waiting for the marksman to reappear. Nanaki dashed towards the house. The closer he got, the stronger Cloud's scent became. He didn't think it was a coincidence. He leapt over the gate into an overgrown garden and up to the porch. The downstairs windows were all bordered up. As Nanaki backed away, wondering which entrance to smash through, the door opened. A gun pointed at him; reacting on pure instinct, he rolled away and felt the bullet ripple over him. A second bullet grazed his forepaw before he darted in under the man's guard and bit his leg. Swearing, the man kicked out, but Nanaki held on and dug his front claws in for good measure. His weight and the pain was too much; the man couldn't keep his balance. The gun slipped through his fingers. He went down and Nanaki immediately let go and pounced on his chest, this time allowing his back claws to score through the man's already mangled leg.

The man groaned. His hand scrabbled about, trying to find the gun. The throat was always best, Nanaki found. Sink your fangs into the prey's neck and hold on until its struggles cease. It made no difference whether it was a man or an animal. They all bled.

That was how Vincent found him, with his teeth buried in the man's throat. A flicker of distaste passed across his companion's face. Men like Vincent chose the gun because they disliked the mess of close combat. To actually taste the blood of the enemy, to hold his flesh in your mouth – humans usually baulked at that. Nanaki suspected it was a long forgotten instinct, the reaction of a species who were more used to being the victim of this technique than the perpetuator.

"I killed the marksman," said Vincent. "I think this man is dead as well."

He was right, Nanaki thought. He could no longer feel the lifeblood jumping through the man's body. He let go, licking his lips to clean off the blood.

"Are there any more?" he growled.

"Let me check." Vincent stepped over him, into the hallway. Nanaki waited. Beneath the iron tang of blood, he could smell Mako. Cloud had definitely been in this house fairly recently. He followed the scent outside, onto the path, where he stopped to lick himself clean. The trail led along the road, to the edge of the city and beyond. They had not explored this side in their search before. Nanaki gazed out into the plains.

He heard Vincent approaching. He cocked his head, and Vincent shook his.

"No more guards. There were only two in the house."

"Did he hit you?"

Vincent held up his metal hand. The claw had a dent in it. "It's nothing serious. Have you picked up Cloud's trail?"

He nodded. "It leads this way, out of the city!" He looked back over the horizon. A heat haze shimmered in the distance, but he clearly saw the structure which seemed to hover over the plains. His nose told him that Cloud had headed off in a straight line – directly towards this other building. "That place – they must have gone there."

"Then we should follow."

* * *

Outwardly, Wedge appeared calm, strolling along the dark prison floor. But behind his mask, his pupils were dilated and beneath the smart blue uniform his heart was beating madly. He hardly knew what he was doing; the sparkling walls seemed to blur before him, the metal railings melt into silvery liquid. He took deep breaths and slow steps, to give his mind time to process everything.

Cloud was here. Cloud, the blond mercenary, Kelling's paid assassin. Except that he wasn't really being paid at all, Wedge was sure of it now. Tifa was a hostage and Cloud was here to get her back. So Kelling's plan had failed; if Cloud had really killed the Sorceress, he would have no need to rescue Tifa himself and, moreover, the SeeDs wouldn't be with him, helping him. He must have told them everything, requested their help.

That meant that Kelling was a dead man.

He hadn't intended it to happen this way. He had wanted to rescue Tifa himself, and even though somewhere at the back of his mind, a voice whispered that he would never have had the guts to do it alone, still he couldn't help feeling a twinge of disappointment that Cloud had arrived to play the part of knight in shining armour. And how could he possibly compare to the lean, muscular mercenary? Beside him, Wedge felt hopelessly weedy. She would fall into Cloud's arms, of course, and then Wedge would have to scramble for his own inglorious escape.

Well, maybe later. Action first – he wanted to do something, to play his part in helping her. But would Biggs understand?

He saw Biggs, outside the cell as usual. Nothing much had changed since they last saw each other, except that Biggs' stance had drooped a little. As he approached, Biggs yawned.

"Sir!" said Wedge.

Biggs jumped. "What? You're here early, Wedge – is something wrong?"

"No, sir," he answered, deciding on the spot that it was best not to let Biggs know what was going on. "I've come to relieve you."

"Already? You're very keen today…"

Wedge put on his most earnest expression. "I just want to help, sir."

Biggs leaned against the wall and stretched. He shook his arms, making his armour clank. At first, Wedge thought that meant his superior was tired and ready to take a break, but then his mouth tightened suspiciously.

"Are you sure that's all it is? Nothing to do with having a fancy for this girl, then?"

"Not at all, sir. Well, maybe a bit," he hedged.

"Hopeless you are, Wedge. Hopeless." Biggs sighed. "Well, I'm knackered. I'll take off for a while, but I'll send some guards up to join you, got that? I can't be having you getting any ideas into your head, not with you and the prisoner alone."

"Yes, sir; I mean, of course not, sir." By the time Biggs fetched the guards from the officer's mess, Tifa would have already gone.

Biggs rested a gloved hand on Wedge's shoulder. He patted it. "Try not to die of boredom."

"At least guard duty is safer than most other jobs, sir," he replied brightly, taking his guard stance outside the cell door.

"Not with this woman, it isn't. Right little firecracker, she is – wouldn't put it past her breaking out again. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears, er, alert."

"Yes, sir."

Biggs nodded and strode off. Wedge watched him all the way, until his back disappeared into the darkness of the stairwell. His heart beat fast. He counted the seconds after Biggs had gone, one minute, two minutes… He put his face to the door.

"Tifa?"

"Wedge?" Her reply came instantly. She must have been listening to their conversation, he thought. What a beautiful, soft voice she had. He trembled and he wasn't sure if it was from fear or exhilaration.

"I'm here to help you," he said.

"You're going to help me escape?"

"Yes. Just – two minutes. I'll be back in two minutes. Be ready."

"I will," she whispered, and Wedge lingered a little longer outside the door than he had intended, just to hear her voice. "Thank you," she added. "Thank you…" Her words echoed in his ears even as he hurried off, strengthening him. His insides felt like jelly, but his mind was set. _I can do this._

* * *

Tifa knew every inch of the prison cell by now. Five paces from wall to wall; unable to sit still, she went back and forth, counting her steps as time passed. It occurred to her that she ought to be ready for a fight – she didn't know how Wedge intended to get her out; maybe he was going to bluff his way out of the prison, but she should be prepared just in case. So she limbered up, stretching out the muscles in her limbs, and all the while her heart was full of hope.

Oh, if he was tricking her – how cruel that would be! But no, he sounded sincere. _Please let him be sincere. Please let me see Cloud again. Please let the children be all right._

A bar of light at the top of the cell door flashed blue-green. She stood still and held her breath as the door slid open with a hiss. And there was Wedge's silhouette, his uniform appearing navy blue in the dim light. He held out his hand and a shy smile spread over his face – the half that she could see under his mask. Tifa took his hand. A thrill ran through her body – the cell door was open, she could escape!

"There's someone here to see you," he said.

She sensed movement outside – a welcoming party? Who was it? She stepped forward, but as she reached the doorway, her vision was blocked by a shape rushing towards her. She had an impression of a pale face, intense blue eyes and blond hair; her fingers slipped away from Wedge's as the soldier ducked aside, and suddenly Cloud was holding her in his arms.

"Tifa!"

"You're here," she whispered. "You're really here." Tears sprang to her eyes; she wrapped her arms around Cloud too and held on as tight as she could, revelling in his warm presence. He smelled like home. She wanted to stay there as long as she could, her eyes shut to block out her surroundings, so there was nothing but Cloud, but she knew that getting out of her prison cell was only the first step. So she gently stepped away, wiped her eyes and looked about her.

Apart from Wedge, another man was watching her. He leaned against the metal railing, studying her from beneath a wide-brimmed cowboy hat. He didn't look like a prison guard.

"Howdy," the man said, smiling. "I'm Irvine and you must be Tifa. It's a pleasure to meet you." He held out his hand.

Cloud kept one arm around her as, feeling slightly bewildered, she shook Irvine's hand.

"Nice to meet you too," she said. "I don't mean to rush anyone, but isn't this a breakout? Shouldn't we be running?"

"No," said Cloud, "don't run. We don't want to make a ruckus."

"We're not breaking you out," Irvine explained. "You're being officially released."

Tifa raised her eyebrows. "Then why are you carrying a gun?"

"I always carry a gun," said Irvine, and winked at her.

Wedge was peering over the railing to the floors below. He looked up. "The elevator's coming. We'll go down that way."

A muted clattering announced the arrival of the elevator. It was big – easy for the four of them to crowd into it. Tifa and Cloud stayed close to each other. She didn't want to leave him and she sensed that he felt the same. He made her feel less nervous. With Cloud here, how could they fail to escape?

"As long as we're with Wedge, the guards will think we're escorting a prisoner, right?" said Irvine.

"Yes," said Wedge, though he rubbed his hands together nervously. "I should stay next to Tifa…" His words faded away as he looked at Cloud. "I – I mean, to make it look as though-"

"I know what you mean," said Cloud. She felt him tense next to her. The elevator started to move. "You have to tell us," he went on urgently. "Where's the laboratory?"

"The – the laboratory?"

"Yes, the lab we were taken from!"

Wedge stammered out something Tifa couldn't quite catch – had he mentioned a portal? She creased her eyebrows in puzzlement. Why was Cloud glaring at him like that? But before any more questions could be answered, the elevator came to a halt and the doors began to slide open. Wedge hurried to Tifa, who took his arm and squeezed it encouragingly.

She let Wedge lead the way, since she did not recognise this part of the prison. She appeared to be in some kind of control room, judging by the panels, computers and flashing lights. Five people watched them emerge. One of them was a grey-clothed prison warden, his baton strapped to his hip. He was talking to an older man, also dressed in grey. A few paces away from them stood a man and a girl, who were both chatting. They looked completely out of place – the girl was surely a teenager, dressed in sunny colours and with a big smile on her face. Tifa thought that her attire would be more suited to the fairground. The man had a rumpled look about him, as though he had slept in his clothes, but his expression was earnest. The last person in the room stood next to a door on the opposite side. He wore the same blue uniform as Wedge.

The girl saw them and let out a squeal. "Whoo-hoo! You're back!"

"That's right, babe," said Irvine, going up to the girl. "Like I said, easy. Everything sorted down here?"

"Not quite," said the old prison warden, glaring at Tifa. "Wedge, have you spoken to Biggs?"

"Yes, sir," said Wedge.

"And? Where is he?"

"He took a break, sir."

The old man's eyes practically popped. "I want his confirmation before I let you take this prisoner anywhere!"

"We're taking her whether you like it or not," said Cloud, moving next to Tifa. The atmosphere in the room suddenly tensed. The two prison guards looked at each other, worry beginning to show on their faces. The other blue-uniformed soldier came towards them from his post, his hand straying to the hilt of his sword.

"Is there a problem?" he asked.

"Yes, there is," said Irvine. "Your boss here is being uncooperative. But SeeDs get the job done no matter what."

His eyes flicked from the girl to Cloud. Tifa saw the look and guessed what was about to happen. She clutched Wedge's arm and whispered, "Don't move!"

In an instant, Irvine drew his gun and pointed it at the old man's head. Cloud grabbed the other prison guard, twisting his arms behind him so he couldn't reach his baton. At the same time, the girl pirouetted – and Tifa blinked in surprise, because she suddenly held a weapon – a chain – no, two long sticks, which flew out and struck the uniformed guard in the temple. He collapsed at once. The girl giggled. Tifa was irresistibly reminded of Yuffie.

Both Wedge and the other man stared at the scene, open-mouthed, but while Wedge looked vaguely horrified, the second man looked impressed.

"Help, Tifa?" Cloud asked, turning so that the struggling guard was facing her.

"Please, no," the man spluttered.

Tifa smiled and punched him in the side of his face. There was a dull thump as her fist hit his skull and he went limp in Cloud's arms. Her blow was calculated to knock him out, and it did so. Very little blood, however. Cloud would probably have broken the guy's nose.

Now two guards were down and the old warden had his hands up. "All right," he choked. "Take her."

"Thank you," said Irvine.

"And you can shove your permission forms up your ass!" the girl added. "Let's go, Irvy."

"Who's she?" Tifa asked Cloud.

"Her name's Selphie."

That didn't mean much to her, but she could get a full explanation later. Tifa turned to Wedge. "Will you come with us?" she asked.

From what she could see of Wedge's face, he had turned scarlet. "I can't."

"You can escort us the rest of the way out," said Cloud, who had dropped the prison guard. "There are still things I want to know."

"All right," said Wedge. "But no further. I can't leave my boss…"

Tifa leaned close to him and whispered in his ear. "You can pretend to be our hostage." Then, louder, she said, "Show us the way out!"

"This is amazing," said the other man who seemed to be with Cloud's rescue party. "Watching SeeDs in action, unbelievable!"

"You're so sweet, Watts," said Selphie. "Come on!"

* * *

Biggs was sitting in the officer's mess, enjoying a nice hot cup of coffee, when the alarm went off. Startled, he dropped his cup and the scalding liquid spilled onto his lap. He hissed every profanity he knew and grabbed for the tissues on the coffee table. Around him, the soldiers and wardens sprang to their feet. _Let them deal with it_, he thought. _I'm not responding to another bloody alarm. They can't keep anyone locked up in this place._

Then Declam's voice crackled over the speaker. "Prisoner breakout! Biggs, if you can hear this, get your ass down to the entrance! Your unnamed prisoner has done a runner! Mobilise all perimeter units!"

Biggs had already run out of curses, so he repeated them all again, only louder, because this was worse. Heaven help him if the unnamed prisoner got away. He had the feeling that Kelling might do more than dock their wages. He scrambled to his feet and spat out orders to everyone within hearing distance. Then he grabbed his machine gun in both hands and sprinted away.


	19. Breakout

**19**

** Breakout**

Tifa and her rescuers had left the prison building and were making their way to the perimeter gate when they heard an alarm sound behind them.

"Time to run!" said Irvine.

The party broke into a sprint. Selphie and Irvine ran ahead, Selphie dragging Watts by the hand and whooping. Tifa still had hold of Wedge, and Cloud ran on his other side. The dry air was unbearably hot. Squinting through the heat haze beyond the high metal fence, she realised they were in a desert. _Coral Prison!_ she thought, but no, it was all wrong, Coral Prison was a shanty town, not a gigantic steel complex like the tower behind her.

Cloud pulled at Wedge's arm, causing all three of them to come to a halt. They had stopped just before the security guards at the gate, who advanced on Irvine and his allies.

"I should go back now," Wedge panted, trying to pull away from them.

"You still have to tell us," Cloud said. He kept a firm grip on the soldier. Tifa moved around to face them both. She didn't understand what information it was that Cloud wanted.

"Leave him alone, Cloud," she said. "He's helped us enough."

"No, no, I'll tell," Wedge gasped. "It's on Silver Street – little entrance just before a back alley. But it's guarded constantly…"

"Thanks," said Cloud. "I'm glad I didn't have to hurt you."

"You're – you're welcome."

Tifa rolled her eyes. Cloud let go of Wedge, but the soldier didn't move. Instead, he looked at Tifa. And he took off his helmet. A mop of light brown hair spilled over his eyes. Freckles dusted over his nose and cheeks, and a dimple appeared in one cheek as he smiled. Tifa smiled back; it was impossible not to.

"Thank you," she said again.

"I'm glad I met you, Tifa," said Wedge, blushing. He chuckled. "Even – even if it wasn't the best circumstances…"

As if to illustrate that fact, a burst of gunfire came from in front of them. They all ducked automatically, but a quick glance assured Tifa that Irvine was dealing with it.

She smiled at Wedge again. "If you ever come to Edge, be sure to drop by Seventh Heaven. I'll make you a drink on the house."

"Seventh Heaven… Edge… Right…" said Wedge dazedly.

"Tifa," said Cloud, "Tifa, they're surrounding us…"

"You'd better go!" said Tifa.

"Right. Goodbye!" said Wedge. He dashed off to his fellow soldiers, and their ranks parted to let him in.

Tifa and Cloud stood back to back. Irvine and Selphie retreated towards them, Watts hurrying in their wake.

"Stay in the middle!" Selphie instructed Watts.

Everyone understood. Watts was the only person in the group who couldn't fight, so they formed a kind of shield around him. The ground was sandy but firm beneath her feet. Tifa settled into a battle stance and surveyed the enemies around her. A row of ten soldiers circled them – but they were too few in number to completely surround them. However, they blocked the way to the gate, which appeared to be their only exit. The soldiers were all armed with swords, except for one, dressed in red, who carried a machine gun. He was obviously the leader, as he shouted, "Drop your weapons and put your hands up!"

"Not likely!" Selphie shrieked.

"I mean it! I'll shoot!" the leader shouted. Tifa recognised his voice. It was Biggs.

"Not if I do first," Irvine muttered, and let loose a scattering of shots. It was loud, but Tifa was used to fire fights and she hardly flinched. Watts, who wasn't so used to them, squawked and covered his ears. The gunshots were their cue: all four of them charged. Her companions fanned out on either side of her. Tifa ducked and rolled, hearing Biggs' machine gun fire. The battle was a flurry of fists, swords and gunshots. She tripped up a soldier who rashly attempted to swing his sword at her, and then ran on towards Biggs. The machine gun was the most dangerous weapon, she knew – she had to disarm him.

Dust flew up with every footfall, making it difficult to see. She barely dodged another strike – only the glint of the blade in the sun had alerted her. She smashed the hilt aside and punched the soldier in his stomach. Lightning flashed past her; she flinched, but the magic wasn't aimed at her. Who was casting?

A glimmer of scarlet caught her attention. Biggs saw her coming for him, but he didn't swing his machine gun around in time; she kicked it out of his hand and drew back her fist – and he ran. She heard him yelling, "Retreat! Get the mechs in!" That made her pause. She looked around. Most of the dust had settled, the soldiers either fleeing or lying still on the ground.

It was Selphie who had been casting magic, she saw. The girl aimed another bolt spell at the guards' retreating backs and managed to hit one of them. She looked unhurt, but a few feet away, Irvine had dropped to the ground, cradling his arm. He murmured something and pale tendrils of magic washed over it, healing him. Cloud had picked up one of the guards' swords, which he held against his right hip; his other arm supported Watts, who stumbled towards them.

"Is everyone okay?" Cloud asked.

They all nodded.

"They've locked the gate," said Irvine, touching the fence. "Do you think we can climb over before they send something really nasty after us?"

Selphie put her hands on her hips and tilted her head upwards. "I see barbed wire and metal spikes," she said. "_That's_ nasty. Now what are we gonna do?"

Tifa looked around again, wondering. She heard a clattering from above. From the direction of the tower, two machines descended from the blue sky. They flew on rotating blades like twin helicopters, which blew the sand about as they landed. The wings folded into a metal casing. They were vaguely human-shaped, with arms and legs like scythes. The blades dug into the ground as they approached.

"Fight, I guess," said Irvine. He didn't sound that thrilled.

"Stay behind us!" Selphie instructed Watts.

"Tifa and I will take the one on the right," said Cloud. "You two take the left!"

Everyone nodded. They didn't have time to form a more detailed strategy, as the machines were already upon them. Twice the height of a man, they moved terrifyingly fast. Their blades swooped like silver blurs in the air. Tifa dodged and charged at the machine while Cloud circled behind it. Perhaps this machine would topple like those clumsy yellow boxes inside the prison. She tried a low sweeping kick – and cried out in pain. The machine fell and Tifa hopped away. Her ankle was bleeding – those blades were _sharp_. Cloud took advantage of the machine's temporary vulnerability and stabbed it right where its heart would be if it was human. The metal casing crumpled with the force of his blow, but the machine sprang up again and lashed out with its scythes. Cloud jumped away. It made a clicking noise, like a giant insect, its small head jerking from side to side as it considered who to attack next.

Perhaps it sensed that Tifa was bleeding because it came straight towards her in a whirl of flashing blades. The dust it flew up got into her eyes; half blind, she ducked and ran out of its way. A blade caught her leg. The slice tossed her into the air; dimly she felt pain shoot across the wound, but now she was above the dust, looking directly into the machine's eyes – small, glowing circles. She twisted her body, and aimed her fist at its head. The impact jarred through her, gravity began to pull her back down to earth again…

"Tifa!"

She thought she would be impaled upon those scythes; she was too close; there wasn't time to propel herself away… Instead, Cloud snatched her out of the air. He shouldered the machine as he caught her, using his body to shove it out of the way. No time to thank him – they were both ready instantly, heads turning towards the machine, expecting it to lunge back at them. But the machine had reeled back; it stumbled blindly about, whirring and beeping. Both its 'eyes' were dark; she had destroyed the sensors and now the machine couldn't see to process its surroundings.

"We'll take it down together," Cloud panted.

She nodded. "Together."

And together they charged and knocked the machine off its feet. As it overbalanced, Cloud struck once, twice, and the scythes which served as the machine's arms were cut off. It landed heavily and Tifa pinned it down at once. Its legs still flailed; Cloud moved and struck a third time, but the force of his strike was too much for his sword; it snapped against the silver metal. He was left with only the hilt and a jagged sliver of iron, unarmed once again except for his fists. She smiled, knowing that she still had a better punch than he did. The machine's chest plate was already dented and a glimpse of the circuitry inside showed through. She raised her fist and smashed it. It hurt, to punch so hard without gloves, especially when splinters of metal cut her fingers. But she knew they had defeated it; all the lights on the machine went out and it stopped moving. Now it was no more than a hunk of scrap metal.

They looked around to see how Irvine and Selphie were doing. Neither had fought their enemy at close range; instead, they kept their distance while Irvine fired shot after shot and Selphie cast her bolt spells. The machine seemed to be moving slowly; even as it chased after them, they jogged away easily. She must have slowed it down with magic too, Tifa thought. Even as they watched, the machine collapsed; the combination of bullets and magic had fried its circuitry.

"All done?" Tifa called, smiling despite the pain.

"One machine, totally broken," Selphie yelled back.

She heard clapping coming from the gate – it was Watts.

"Well done, sirs!" he shouted. "Bravo!"

"Yo!" called another, completely different voice. "Do you guys wanna get out of here or not?"

* * *

"Zell!" Selphie cried. "We're stuck – the gate's locked!"

Outside the compound, the truck remained where they had parked it, but someone had climbed inside. The figure waved at them.

"Get back, everyone!"

The truck started reversing. Cloud realised what he was going to do and backtracked hurriedly. Dropping the useless hilt, his hand found Tifa's. It felt damp – and not with perspiration. Blood smeared over her fingers, sticky to the touch. He looked at her, but she smiled, reassuring him. His own shoulder throbbed – one of the blades had left a gash. _No time to recover yet_, he thought.

"There's more of them!" Selphie yelled, looking over her shoulder. "Hurry up, Zell! You can do it!"

The figure in the truck crunched the gears. The engine roared; the truck accelerated… Cloud risked a glance back at the prison and saw more guards pouring out, many of them armed with guns. They formed ranks, guns pointed at them.

"Give us back the girl!" Biggs bellowed over the roar of the truck.

The truck had almost reached the gate; Cloud hoped it was going fast enough. A resounding clang vibrated in the air as the truck ploughed through the gate, flattening it.

"Fire!" Biggs yelled.

The truck screeched; Zell yanked the steering wheel and it skidded around Cloud, Tifa and the rest, coming to a halt just behind them. The soldiers fired. Everyone ducked behind the truck, their only shield from the bullets whizzing towards them.

"Get in!" Zell cried.

Cloud, Tifa, Watts and Irvine piled into the back of the truck. Selphie jumped in the front next to Zell, who pressed on the accelerator again almost before they set a foot on the vehicle.

"Lie flat!" said Cloud, pulling down Watts. The sides of the open end of the truck were not high. A few bullets hit the bodywork; one went straight through Irvine's cowboy hat, knocking it off. He grabbed for it as the truck swerved and then lay down flat as more bullets threatened to hit them.

They heard the clatter, the groan of the tyres as Zell drove over the ruined gate. Now the open back of the truck faced towards the prison, leaving them exposed. Every time Cloud heard the crack of a gunshot, he expected someone to get hit, to hear someone cry out. They were all panting and it was hot and uncomfortable squashed together like this. Irvine's elbow dug into his back. Cloud half-covered Tifa; he put one arm over her body. Her face pressed against his chest. Nearest the driving seat was Watts, who had curled up awkwardly and found Tifa's hair tickling his face. He sneezed.

Cloud could sense magic coming from somewhere; he cast around and realised the source of the energy was Selphie. She was murmuring something, completely focused on the spell. Then she lifted her arms and said, "Bahamut will teach these guys a lesson!"

The sky darkened. Cloud's skin prickled. Everyone felt it: a metallic taste in the air, as though the heavens were about to call down chain lightning to strike them all. But he knew it wasn't lightning being called down from the sky… He angled his face upwards, towards the retreating prison. The gunshots had stopped; faint shouts indicated that they too had realised something was coming…

A shape lanced through the sky, plunging through the clouds until with a beating of its vast wings, it hovered above the prison. The great dragon: Bahamut. All other sounds – the shouts of the soldiers, the noise of the engine, his own breathing – were muted as the dragon king roared. And now it lifted higher, each wing beat stirring up the sand below. They were much too far away to see any of the guards still outside the prison, but he thought they must look puny under Bahamut's gaze. The sky was dark and Bahamut was dark too, but a pinprick of light appeared before the dragon; it grew larger and brighter, cutting through his eyes.

"Close your eyes!" Cloud shouted. His voice was muffled, but he hoped everyone had heard. He ducked his head and squeezed his own eyelids shut as Bahamut let loose the flare.

"YES!" Selphie shrieked, and then her voice was drowned out by an immense explosion. It pulsed through their ears – no, through the truck too; the ground was shaking. Orange light burned through his eyelids. Cloud held onto Tifa and felt her tremble. Gradually, the sound faded away. The clouds parted and the tang of power vanished. Bahamut had gone.

The roar of the engine returned; pressed against the floor of the truck like this, he could feel its vibration too.

"I think we're safe now," Cloud muttered. He lifted his head, leaning on one elbow. A thin trickle of smoke floated up in the distance, but he could no longer see the prison itself. The four of them pulled themselves into sitting positions. Cloud helped Tifa up and kept his arm round her. For a while, they didn't even have the energy to speak. They just looked at each other, relieved to be alive.

Selphie and Zell, on the other hand, were in the middle of an animated argument.

"Stop the truck and let me drive!" Selphie commanded.

"No way! We've gotta get away first!"

"You know I'm a better driver than you – you drive like an old man!"

"I do not!" Zell spluttered. "Who just crashed the gates for you?"

"What speed are you doing?" Selphie leaned over, prompting an angry shout from Zell, who shoved her back.

"I'm trying to concentrate here!"

"Seventy. You can do hundred here, easy."

"A hundred? Man, are you crazy?"

Irvine shook his head as the pair of them continued to argue. "Selphie always has to be in the driver's seat," he said. He poured sand out of his cowboy hat, before replacing it on his head. The truck was slowing down. It seemed Selphie had got her way.

"Think they'll follow us?" Cloud asked.

"No, Selphie saw to that," said Irvine, peering over the horizon. "There's no way they'll catch us now."

Selphie and Zell got out of the truck to swap seats. They went round to the back of the truck to see everyone else. Zell was the SeeD who was supposed to have met them before they went into the prison, Cloud remembered. He was a young man with a blond quiff to rival Cloud's. A black tattoo decorated the side of his face. He was scowling, probably because he had lost the argument with Selphie, Cloud thought. But then Irvine gave him a high-five and he grinned.

"Are we all okay?" Selphie asked.

Tifa stretched out her leg and grimaced. Dried blood covered a nasty-looking cut.

"You're hurt!" said Cloud. He always hated to see her injured. Even when he knew he had Restore materia to heal the wounds, he still didn't like to see her in pain. But he didn't have any materia on him now, or any potions. There was nothing he could do.

"Irvine, why didn't you cure her?" Selphie asked reproachfully.

Irvine looked embarrassed. "I didn't know she was hurt – give me a second…"

But Selphie had already cast the magic for him. Cloud watched as the wound sealed before his eyes, leaving only a crust of dried blood.

"Anyone else?" Selphie cast a practised eye over the group. "Cloud, your shoulder looks funny…"

He nodded. He had been shot near that same shoulder only two nights ago, and now he had a deep cut and plenty of bruises to add to his discomfort.

"No worries," said Selphie. She cast Cure again. He felt the wound seal itself and his bruises were wiped away. The ache in his body lessened; even his muscles felt fresher, more alert. He looked at Selphie and wondered why she wasn't exhausted from all the magic she had cast – not to mention summoning one of the most powerful beings in existence. Yet the girl appeared bright and perky as ever. "Oh, I should introduce everyone!" she said, as though they were guests at a party. "Zell, this is Cloud and Tifa. Cloud and Tifa, this is Zell. And I'm Selphie."

"Pleased to meet you," said Zell, holding out his hand.

"Shouldn't we be going?" asked Cloud, ignoring the outstretched hand. "We don't want to risk being followed."

"Where are we going?" asked Tifa. "I want to thank you all for helping me, but I don't really know who you are…"

"We'll explain everything on the way back to Garden," said Selphie. "Let's go!"

"Homeward bound, baby!" said Zell, and the two of them went back to the front seats.

The truck started forward again with a roar. Tifa frowned. "Garden? What's that?"

Cloud put a hand on her arm. "It's a long story…"

* * *

Yuffie's guards sat on either side of her in the crowded cafeteria. They were still not very talkative, though when she had demanded to go out of her room for lunch, they had complied. It was nice to be in different surroundings. Although many of the students stared at her and some openly pointed at her, Yuffie found herself enjoying the notoriety. She recognised one of the boys gawping at her from a nearby table. It was Theo, and she met his stare with a challenging look of her own. To her satisfaction, he dropped his eyes.

She had asked for sushi and was disappointed to learn that the cafeteria lady didn't even know what it was. When she explained, the woman gave her a hard stare and said, "We _cook_ all our food here." So instead she was tucking into a plate of grilled chicken and sundry vegetables, only one of which she didn't recognise. The guards ate nothing. Yuffie didn't let this disconcert her – they could starve if they wanted; she sure as hell intended to enjoy her meal.

"Does Squall ever eat here?" she asked the male guard, the young SeeD Seifer had insulted.

She stared at him pointedly for ten seconds until he blushed and stammered out a reply. "Sometimes."

"Huh. I bet he thinks he's too good to eat with the rest of the students. He hasn't even come over to make sure I haven't escaped or trashed the room or anything like that." Seifer had been her only visitor, but he soon had to depart for class. Unbelievable, that he was the only friendly person in this place. Well, okay, not unbelievable considering the rest of them thought she was a Galbadian spy or worse, but still.

"You know who I'd like to see?" said Yuffie, to no one in particular. She didn't expect a reply from her guards and she didn't get one, so she went ahead regardless. "Selphie. I wanna apologise to her for cutting off her ear."

The female guard gave her a reproachful look. Yuffie swallowed her last bit of chicken. "What? She could have had a lot worse than a lopsided ear, you know! She was nice until she went all crazy on me."

A commotion near the entrance to the cafeteria alerted her. Yuffie stood up and her guards stood up with her.

"Out of my way!" came Seifer's voice. He pushed through a gaggle of excited students, who all wanted to know what was going on.

"MOVE," said a harsh, female voice.

"Is Yuffie here?" Seifer yelled. Many heads turned towards her. Feeling excited, Yuffie climbed up onto the table and waved.

"I'm here!"

The voices around her increased in volume. People were asking, "What's _he_ want with _her_?" and she heard several insults directed at both her and Seifer.

"None of your frigging business!" Seifer snapped at one of them. "Raijin, discipline!"

Raijin was tall and heavy and he bulldozed his way through the students, looking menacing. Meanwhile, the grey-haired woman – Fujin, Yuffie remembered – stood still and snapped her one-eyed, hawk-like gaze around the students. Somehow, this was more intimidating than Raijin's bulk. The students scattered, many going back to their tables to watch the scene.

Yuffie jumped down from the table and hurried up to Seifer. Her guards kept up with her, almost brushing her shoulders, and she resisted the urge to swat them aside in irritation.

"What is it?" she asked.

Seifer looked excited, breathless, his blond hair tousled. "There's something you've gotta see!" he said. "Two visitors just arrived at the entrance and they're asking for you and Cloud!"

"Are you kidding?" Who on earth could be visiting her? No one else on this world knew her! Except for Kelling and his cronies, and they would hardly stroll up to the Balamb Garden gate and ask to see her.

"I saw them!" said Seifer. "And I recognised them, from what you said! A beast with red fur and a flame on its tail, and a caped gunman with a golden claw for a hand and – what was it you said? An 'isn't-it-obvious-I-cut-myself' expression!"

Yuffie gawped at him. "Red and Vincent! They're here? But they can't be – are you teasing me?"

"No, I swear!"

"He's telling the truth," said Raijin. "I couldn't believe it when I saw them myself, ya know?"

Yuffie still wavered. She sensed many of the students around her, watching her. What if Seifer was playing a prank on her? She'd look like a complete fool. _If he's lying, I'll get him back for this_, she vowed.

"I swear it on my honour!" said Seifer, noticing her hesitation.

"We'd better check it out, just in case," the female SeeD muttered to her companion. Her guards were taking him seriously. And she couldn't really refuse to go, not if there was the remotest possibility that he was sincere…

"All right, but you'd better not be lying!" she said.

"Come on!" And he grabbed her hand – he actually grabbed her _hand_! – and pulled her out of the cafeteria. She yanked her hand away from him as soon as they arrived in the corridor and hurried off alone. Seifer drew level with her; they looked at each other and simultaneously broke into a sprint. It had turned into a race; Yuffie ran flat out, down the corridor and into Garden's main interior. Her guards chased after her. Several students turned to stare at them, startled, and she knew they were getting the wrong impression, but she didn't care. Seifer's long strides had taken him ahead of her and she didn't want to let him win. She cursed her short legs as she turned the corner after him.

Once she reached the white steps down to the open air part of Balamb Garden, she had resigned herself to the fact that Seifer was way ahead of her. He stopped just before the exit gate, where a crowd of people were gathered, and waited for her. Even at this distance, she could see his grin. She slowed down as she reached him and gave him her ninja death glare, to which he responded by grinning even more widely. But then she looked past him, to the crowd at the gate – nearly all SeeDs, by the look of it, and Squall was there too, with his arms folded, looking at something outside the gate. _Somebody_ was there, then.

As she came closer, her guards caught up with her. One of them took her arm but she shrugged him off.

"I'm not gonna run away! I wanna see who it is…"

Then, quite clearly, she heard the soft growling voice of a creature that wasn't human.

"We know they came here," Red said.

"It talks?" said Squall, and Yuffie sniggered at the look on his face.

"Yes, he talks," came Vincent's voice.

So they _were_ both here! She pushed past that stuck-up SeeD, Xu, and yelled, "Vince! Red! It's me, Yuffie!"

"Yuffie!" they called back, and she saw Vincent, pressed against the gate, looking for her.

Squall caught her before she could go right up to the gate. "I didn't order anyone to fetch her!" he snapped.

She glared at him. "Let them in, stupid! They're my friends!"

"We came to find our missing companions," said Vincent. "We mean no harm. Unless, of course, you are keeping her prisoner?" His red eyes glinted.

"Put down your gun," said Squall, still gripping Yuffie's arm. "Then maybe we'll talk."

Vincent looked at Yuffie and she nodded, mouthing, "He's a suspicious asshole." He took out his weapon and slowly laid it on the floor. They all heard the scraping of metal on metal – Vincent had handled the gun with his clawed hand. Then he straightened up and looked at Squall, matching and surpassing the SeeD commander for lack of expression.

"Open the gate," said Squall.

"Welcome to Balamb Garden," said Xu, as the gates creaked open. She didn't sound like she meant it. "You are our guests now and if you wish, we will give you a guided tour."

"I can't believe you're here!" said Yuffie, talking over Xu. "Did Kelling bring you through as well? How did you escape? I bet Cloud'll wanna see you when he gets back! Gawd, you won't believe what's been going on!"

"We'll find an empty classroom where you can talk," said Squall. He looked resigned. "Xu, will you take them? I want to know if their story fits."

"Yes, sir," she said.

"You'd better treat us good!" said Yuffie gleefully. "You won't like Vincent when he's angry."

Indeed, many of the SeeDs looked wary of Vincent. He had that effect on people. But they looked even warier of Red. Yuffie wasn't surprised; she guessed they had never seen a creature like him before. As they passed Seifer, she gave him a thumbs up.

"Thank you," she mouthed. _Wait until the students see my new friends_, she thought. She couldn't help a wicked little laugh at the prospect. But first they had a lot to catch up on…

"You do know we're in another world?" she said conversationally.

"Yes, we worked it out," said Vincent. "What happened here? Are these people your enemies or allies?"

"A bit of both, I guess," she began. Yes, they had a lot to catch up on.

* * *

"What exactly do you think you were playing at?" Biggs growled. He was tired, dusty and his head was hurting from the incessant whining of the alarms. They had taken cover inside the prison and it was a good thing they had, because the GF had all but destroyed the land outside. He had taken a peek after it had gone; a huge, circular scorch mark was all that remained. The small outhouse where the other guards took shelter was completely destroyed, as were the gates, and a large part of the fence had collapsed and twisted. Not everyone had made it; two of the wounded soldiers had been left outside to be incinerated. The mood of the prison was bleak.

"It wasn't my fault, sir," Wedge pleaded. "They took me hostage – I was outnumbered!"

"Stinking coward." Not that Biggs himself thought that he would have stood up to the angry SeeDs, but he had to lash out at someone.

Wedge bowed his head. "I'm sorry, sir."

"He was helping them," said a wheezy voice.

Biggs looked around to find Declam still crouched over his beloved computer like a gnarled crab. The control room had mercifully escaped the worst of the flare, leaving everything intact. While the injured soldiers had been taken up to the infirmary, more soldiers had poured down into the grounds to start clearing up the mess. Only Biggs, Wedge and a couple of others remained in the control room, resting. They had taken off their helmets and now fanned themselves with them.

"What did you say?" he asked Declam.

The old man pointed an accusing finger at Wedge. "He helped them! They came in asking for a Tifa Lockhart and Wedge showed them straight to your prisoner!"

Biggs stared at Wedge – his long-time ally, comrade-in-arms. He couldn't believe that Wedge would betray him like that. "Explain," he croaked.

"It wasn't like that, sir!" said Wedge. "I meant to lead them to the wrong floor, so they'd get lost, and then come and report to you. But while we were in the elevator, they threatened me… They were watching me all the time I was talking to you – I'm sorry, I didn't dare to say anything, sir. I was afraid they would kill us all!"

Well, Biggs had no desire to be killed and he thought that Wedge was quite right about the SeeDs. If you didn't co-operate, they'd smack you until you did. Young thugs, the lot of them. But even so, there was something he hadn't failed to notice.

"How do you know the prisoner's name?" he asked.

"S-she told me, sir."

"You _have_ been talking to the prisoner, haven't you?" He would have to stop saying 'prisoner', he realised. She was no longer a prisoner.

"N-no, sir, I swear – she was shouting at me, I couldn't help hearing her."

Biggs snorted. But it was no use yelling at poor Wedge, he knew. Whatever Wedge had decided to do, they wouldn't have stopped until they got her out. Biggs had experience with SeeDs and he had been on the receiving end of a GF attack too many times for his liking. No, the worst thing was that the blond mercenary had been with them. Cloud had joined forces with the SeeDs. He didn't think his pay cheque was going to arrive any time soon.

At some point, he had to phone Kelling and let him know about this debacle. He wasn't looking forward to it.

An intern came rushing down the stairs and into the room. "Biggs? Lieutenant Biggs?"

"Yes?" he snapped, a little too aggressively for the intern, who stepped back and let out a squeak.

"Urgent call for you, sir. It's your boss; he's been trying to contact you for the last hour-"

"The last _hour_?"

"Yes," squeaked the intern, "only, it's all been a bit chaotic, you know, what with the breakout and the prison shutting itself down. We've only just got around to repairing outside communications."

That was standard procedure. In an emergency, only essential communication lines remained open. Staff managing external communications were usually called in for other work. They blocked all outside signals to prevent the enemy from listening in or taking advantage of their own communication system. However, none of this made Biggs feel any better. An entire hour for his boss to fume and stew – Kelling was not a particularly bad-tempered man, but an hour's wait would stretch anyone's patience.

"All right," he said heavily. "I'm on it." He felt as though a leaden ball had crept into his stomach.

"Good luck, sir," said Wedge.

He didn't reply, just followed the intern, while the leaden ball in his belly grew heavier and heavier. It occurred to him that Kelling must have some news or orders for them, as he had contacted them first. Did he already know about the breakout? Or was it something else? Biggs didn't really want to find out. He dragged his feet over the black floor and cursed the alarms which were giving him a pounding headache.


	20. The Gang in Balamb

**20**

** The Gang in Balamb**

Irvine took off his hat and examined it. "A hole right through the middle," he muttered. "Any lower, and I'd have lost a few brain cells." He grinned. "That's something to tell the students."

"Students?" Tifa echoed. She had to shout over the noise of the engine and the wind.

"I'm an instructor," said Irvine. "But Squall asked me to take some time off for this mission. And I was happy to accept – the girls – I mean, the students – have heard all the old stories too many times; this is something new to tell them."

"You'd better not exaggerate, Irvine!" Selphie yelled from the front. "I'll be there to tell them what really happened!"

Tifa laughed. She felt a little more comfortable now – well, as comfortable as she could be sitting on the hard floor of the truck, with the hot sun beating down, watching a strange land go past around her. _Another world._ She could hardly believe it, but Cloud wouldn't lie to her. And when she thought back, it made sense: it explained why Wedge had never heard of Midgar, why all her surroundings were unfamiliar. Poor Wedge. She had told him to call at Seventh Heaven, unaware that it was an entire world away.

She would talk to Cloud in private about all this later, but for now she was curious about these SeeDs.

"So what do you teach them?" she asked Irvine.

"How to shoot, of course," he replied, patting his holster. "I can show you too, if you like."

She smiled. "I already know how to use a gun." That didn't mean she wanted to, of course. Guns killed; she preferred to disarm or knock out whenever possible. Tifa had been taught to use her own body as a weapon. And short of being tied up, that meant she could never be disarmed, which came in useful in the slums.

"Wow," said Irvine. "And you were really good with your fists as well. I bet you could beat Zell in a sparring match."

"What you say?" Zell called indignantly.

She smiled at the compliment. Irvine banged on the back window through which they could see Zell and Selphie. "Keep on navigating!" he said.

"Right, right," said Zell, burying his face in the map again.

"Seriously," Irvine went on, gazing at her, "like, if you were in Garden, you'd pass the SeeD test no problem."

"You have to pass a test to be a SeeD?"

Irvine nodded.

"It all sounds so… controlled."

"It's not so different from the Shinra military," said Cloud. She looked at him and noticed that a faint sheen covered his face. She hoped it was just the heat and that he wasn't getting travel sick again – though she wouldn't be surprised with the way Selphie had been driving. The wind whipped the words out of their mouths and her hair blew back behind her. It was funny, she thought, how Cloud was just fine when he drove his motorbike, but put him in any vehicle as a passenger and he soon turned green. "Except that SeeD are supposed to be neutral, right?" he went on.

"We work for whoever hires us." Irvine indicated Watts, who had been listening with an expression of rapt fascination. "Like this guy here – he used to be a member of the Forest Owls, a resistance faction."

"I'm still a member of the Forest Owls," Watts corrected him.

Irvine looked puzzled. "But Laguna-" ("That's 'Sir Laguna'!" Selphie called) – "hired us to rescue you. I thought you worked for Esthar now."

"You were imprisoned too?" Tifa asked. She had wondered about him – Watts seemed to be a friend of the SeeDs, but he was obviously no fighter so it seemed strange to bring him along as part of the rescue party.

Watts nodded, but at that moment Selphie loudly declared that she was pooped and they all should take a break and get something to eat. The truck had just emerged from the desert into rocky scrub, which gave way to grassland. They stopped in a clearing and everyone got out. It was a relief to walk about and stretch her muscles again. Large, flat rocks made good seats and soon everyone was sitting in a circle, munching squashed sandwiches Selphie had brought out from the truck. Tifa took a grateful swig of water from a flask; the escape and then the hot sun shining down on them as they crossed the desert had made them all thirsty.

Watts settled down and crossed his legs. When he was sure they were all listening, he wet his mouth with a gulp of water and began his story.

"First, I want to thank you guys for rescuing me. I don't think anyone else could have broken me out so well. I spent nearly a fortnight in that cell – at least, I think it was a fortnight. You lose track. It was the Galbadians in Timber who arrested me. They caught me eavesdropping on the guards and locked me up as a spy. But what they didn't know is that I've been passing on information to President Laguna as well as the rebels in Timber."

"Why?" Irvine asked.

Watts grinned. "Oh, it's all Ellone's doing, sir! She introduced Zone and me to President Laguna in Esthar. And the President was very sympathetic towards Timber's plight! He said that all small countries should have the right to rule themselves. We asked him if he would help the people of Timber, and he promised to do as much as he could."

"That's just like Sir Laguna!" said Selphie.

Tifa looked at Cloud, wondering if he knew any of these names. He shrugged at her. She leaned her head against his chest and continued listening.

"But if Laguna helps Timber gain independence, Galbadia's bound to declare war!" Irvine was saying.

"That's exactly what the President said," Watts agreed, nodding. "He said he couldn't help us openly, but behind the scenes Esthar has been funding the resistance movement in Timber."

Zell leapt to his feet. "WHAT?"

"The resistance in Timber is much stronger now," said Watts. "I think we're very close to achieving independence! And it's all down to President Laguna."

Zell shook his head as he sat down again. "So he's the reason I've been stuck in Timber for months, trying to keep the rebellion down!"

"Oh!" said Watts. "Oh, I'm sorry, sir, I didn't know you had switched sides…"

"Sorry, Watts!" Selphie said. "You know we work for whoever pays us! Go hire SeeD and I'll be right over to Timber before you can say 'chocobo'!"

"We've tried, but they keep turning us down…"

"That'll be because the Galbadians have already hired SeeD," said Irvine. "Garden doesn't like to assign missions which put SeeDs in potential conflict."

"So," said Cloud, who appeared to understand the conversation much better than she did, "you're passing on information to the President to repay him for funding the resistance?"

"That's right," said Watts. "I let him know what's happening in Timber, and whatever gossip I can find about the Galbadian Empire in general."

"Gathering information still your specialty, huh?" Selphie said.

Watts grinned. "Very much so."

"You can report to Laguna as soon as we get back," said Irvine. "Squall has a direct line to him."

"Thanks!" said Watts. "I'd like to see Rinoa again too – tell her how the Forest Owls have been getting on."

Tifa shifted. "Isn't Rinoa the Sorceress?" she whispered to Cloud.

"Yeah."

At the mention of Rinoa, Selphie and Irvine had looked at Cloud, and the atmosphere became uncomfortable. Zell, seemingly unaware of this, stood up and stretched.

"Man, I can't believe I missed all the action!" he said. "But at least I can help you guys out once we get back."

"You already helped us a lot," Tifa said, smiling at him. Zell blushed a furious scarlet.

"Y-yeah, no problem."

Selphie stood up too and punched Zell teasingly. "Can't talk to a cute girl, huh?"

"I can talk to you!" Zell blustered.

"You cheeky thing!"

They continued their banter as they headed back to the truck. Tifa followed with everyone else. Cloud was frowning.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said. But when Irvine engaged her in conversation again, Cloud kept frowning at him. Tifa smiled to herself. He always did this whenever customers chatted her up at the bar. Usually, the customers learned very quickly not to bother her, but Irvine didn't seem to take the hint. She didn't mind; he was subtle enough that she could pretend he was being friendly. And anyway, wasn't Selphie his girlfriend? She had assumed so from the way they behaved together, but now she wasn't so sure.

_I'm in another world_, she thought, _and here I am wondering if someone is flirting with me._ She shook her head, feeling slightly disgusted with herself, and deflected one of Irvine's questions. Images of Marlene and Denzel entered her mind. She was no longer in the mood to talk. _I hope we can find the portal and go home soon._

* * *

"Biggs! Where the blazes have you been?"

"I'm sorry, sir," he said, reminding himself of Wedge. He tried out Wedge's contrite tone, but he didn't have so much practice at it. "The communications system-"

"I know," Kelling interrupted him. "They said there was a breakout – what the hell is going on in there?"

Biggs gulped. "I'm afraid I have bad news, sir…" He told Kelling how the SeeDs, accompanied by the blond mercenary, Cloud, had infiltrated the prison and broken out the prisoner, leaving devastation behind them. Kelling didn't speak while he made his report, but he heard an intake of breath occasionally.

Finally, Kelling said, "So Cloud is alive and working with the SeeDs?"

"Yes, sir."

"That lying little brat," he muttered. "She lied to me about everything."

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Never mind," said Kelling. "Plan A has failed. We move on to Plan B. There's no point you staying at the prison; we need you here now. I have new orders for you and Wedge. I want you to return to Galbadia at once."

"Yes, sir," said Biggs, trying to hide the relief in his voice. Kelling hadn't mentioned anything about punishing them! They were still employed. Biggs had no idea what Plan B was, but he didn't expect Kelling to share all his plans with him. Hopefully this plan was less likely to get them all killed. "We'll be on our way at once, sir."

"Go by train – you must get to the laboratory as fast as you can. And don't think I've forgotten about this," Kelling added. "If I didn't need all my men, you'd be fired for letting the prisoner escape. As it is, consider yourself the newly demoted Sergeant Biggs."

"Of course, sir. Quite right, sir." _Screw you, sir_, he added in his head.

"Dismissed."

Biggs replaced the telephone on its hanger and sighed. _Damn it_.

* * *

The evening sun cast a pearly glow over Balamb Garden, tingeing its white roof pink. All of the SeeDs cheered. For them, it was home. For Cloud and Tifa, it was the place where Yuffie was waiting for them and that made it a welcome sight.

"It's beautiful," said Tifa.

"It's even better inside," said Irvine. "How about I take you on a tour?"

"There's no need," said Cloud, scowling at him. "We won't be staying long."

The truck slowed down and Selphie stuck her head out of the window to punch in the password that would give them access to the parking lot.

Tifa yawned and stretched. "The first thing I'd like to do is take a shower."

Cloud nodded. That didn't sound like such a bad idea. It had been a long day; they were all tired and dirty. He hoped that Zell, Selphie and Irvine would go off to report to Squall, so he wouldn't have to, but as they drove through the tunnel and into the parking lot, he saw two people already waiting for them. Squall and Xu both wore anxious expressions which quickly turned to relief as Zell stood up in the back of the truck and gave them a big thumbs up.

"We did it!" he said, before anyone could ask.

Selphie stopped the truck and they all got out.

Squall stepped forward. "Are you all right?"

_He's genuinely concerned_, Cloud thought. _Not just about Rinoa, but about all of them._

"We're super-duper A-okay!" said Selphie. She saluted cheerfully; Zell and Irvine followed suit, standing in a line. Watts hurried to copy them, his expression delighted. Cloud and Tifa watched the proceedings in silence.

"At ease," said Xu, and the SeeDs relaxed. "Did it go smoothly?"

"Affirmative!" said Selphie.

"And these guys helped us out," said Irvine, nodding towards Cloud and Tifa. "They're our friends now."

Cloud nodded back at him, feeling more cheerful. Their comradeship during the breakout had been unspoken, but they had worked together as a team. Nevertheless, he was glad to hear Irvine say it out loud.

"Really?" Squall asked.

"Totally, absolutely one hundred percent," Selphie replied, smiling.

"That's great," said Squall, and he actually smiled at them too. Cloud almost did a double take. Squall was _smiling_ at him. He didn't think he had seen Squall smile even once since they had met; it transformed his face, made him look younger – like an actual teenager who was just glad to see his friends, instead of a stern military commander.

"And we have some good news for you too," said Xu, looking at Cloud and Tifa. "Two more of your friends have arrived – Vincent Valentine and his… companion, Red."

For a moment, Cloud stared at her, uncomprehending. Tifa's mouth fell open. He managed to get out words first.

"Red and Vincent are here? But how…?"

"They came through the portal," said Xu.

"I guess you'd like to see them?" Squall asked.

"Yeah, of course!" said Tifa, her eyes shining.

"I want to meet them too!" said Selphie.

"I want a full report from you guys in my office first," said Squall. "Zell – could you find Watts a room? Xu, would you take Cloud and Tifa to their rooms?"

"Yes, sir." Xu beckoned to them. "Follow me."

* * *

Xu took them to the students' living quarters, where she showed them to a room.

"You can take the one next door as well," she said. "Four beds should accommodate you for the night." She handed Tifa a key. "Oh, and you're free to explore Garden as you wish now. I need to go and talk to Commander Leonhart. We'll arrange a meeting soon and I'll let you know."

Cloud nodded.

"Thank you," said Tifa. Xu bowed slightly and walked away. Tifa turned to the door. Before she could even knock, it opened, revealing Yuffie, whose face broke into a huge smile.

"You're back! I thought I heard you! And guess who's here?"

"Vincent and Red. We know," said Cloud, walking in past her.

Yuffie's face crumpled. Tifa laughed, knowing she had been hoping to surprise them. "It's good to see you, Yuffie," she said, hugging the girl. Yuffie's expression brightened at once; she hugged Tifa back enthusiastically. Tifa pressed her face against Yuffie's ear and whispered, "Thank you for looking after him for me."

"No problem!"

She ushered Tifa in, closing the door behind them. The room was obviously not designed for so many people; there were only two chairs around a table, both occupied. Vincent sat in one and Cloud had taken the other. Red was hunkered beneath the table, his whiskers brushing one of the legs. The sight of her familiar companions filled her with joy; she wanted to rush over and hug them like Yuffie, but you couldn't really hug Red and she knew Vincent wouldn't appreciate it. She settled for beaming at them instead.

Yuffie put her hands on her hips. "Ever heard of ladies first?"

Vincent caught her meaning at once; he stood up and silently offered his place to her. Cloud hadn't, she could tell, and Tifa stifled a smile as she watched him look puzzled for a moment and then blush. He hurriedly stood up and offered his chair to her. She took it, brushing his hand, and then tilted up her head to see him behind her and murmured a thank you.

Everyone automatically looked at Cloud, who ran a hand through his hair before starting to speak.

"It's great to see you guys," he said. "I know we have a lot to catch up on. Yuffie and I were brought here to do something terrible and I'm really sorry you all got caught up in it."

"It's not your fault, Cloud," said Tifa at once. She knew he had a habit of blaming himself for… well, everything. Once she had confided this to Shera, in one of their rare talks, and Shera had only smiled and said, "At least he takes responsibility. Cid's the complete opposite – every mistake he makes is somehow my fault."

"It's that Kelling guy!" said Yuffie, bringing her back to the present with a start. "He's behind all this! Cloud, before we go back home, can we give him a good ass kicking?"

"If we can find him," said Cloud. "I think Caraway was supposed to arrest him once we'd rescued you, Tifa."

"Then has he?" Tifa asked.

"I don't know. I need to ask Squall."

"So what are we gonna do now?" Yuffie asked.

"Meet Squall, find out what's going on, and then get back to the portal as soon as possible," said Cloud. "Wedge told me where to find it – a place called Silver Street…"

Red looked up from under the table. "We know where it is. We can take you back to the laboratory."

"Great, but how do you know – and why did they bring you through as well?"

"They didn't," Vincent said. "The scientist who found us said it was a mistake – the portal malfunctioned."

At the confused looks he got from Cloud and Tifa, Red and Vincent proceeded to explain everything that had happened since the three of them had vanished. Tifa relaxed visibly when she heard that Barret was looking after Denzel and Marlene. She knew she could count on him to keep them safe. Yuffie, who had heard this story before, grew impatient and started fidgeting. She tilted her chair back and let it fall down again with a thump, each time leaning further back. Tifa ignored her patiently, but she could tell Red was getting irritated. He flicked his ears and growled. At last, while Vincent was telling them about the marksman who attacked them at the secret house, Yuffie's chair was balanced precariously on two legs and Red stuck his back paw out. She tumbled over with a shriek.

Tifa laughed. _Just like old times_, she thought.

* * *

When the knock on the door came, Squall jumped, and then inwardly berated himself for doing so. He shouldn't be flinching at a sudden noise like a frightened child. He stood up – he didn't want to face this visitor from behind a desk – and gazed out of the window, trying to appear casual.

"Come in," he called.

Cloud walked in; his stride was confident, but his eyes darted from side to side, assessing his surroundings. His hair was slightly damp; it glistened in the evening sunlight like a pale halo. And those bright eyes, they gleamed as they alighted on his sword which was still propped up against a filing cabinet. Cloud's hand twitched, but he regarded Squall first, and said, "You wanted to see me?"

Squall indicated the sword. "You can take that back when you leave." They had already returned Yuffie's shuriken and Vincent's gun. Now he wouldn't be sorry to get rid of the huge blade that had almost killed Rinoa and Quistis. He had tried picking it up, and was astonished by the weight. His own gunblade was a two-handed weapon, but even so it was far easier to handle.

"Thanks," said Cloud. "I want to know – where's Kelling? Weren't you guys supposed to be out looking for him?"

"As soon as you returned with Tifa, I contacted General Caraway. He said he would arrest Kelling at once."

"So have they got him?"

"That's what we're about to find out," said Squall. He moved behind his desk and dialled the number which gave him direct access to the Caraway household. Then he looked up at the screen. Cloud folded his arms and waited. He didn't attempt to make conversation or ask pointless questions. He was focused on the issue at hand. Squall found himself thinking that in different circumstances, in a different world, they might have been friends. It was ironic that now they were allies, all Cloud wanted to do was leave. But he brushed the thought away as the screen crackled into life.

"Squall?"

The face on the screen was not Caraway's. He frowned.

"Arin, what are you doing there? I was supposed to talk to Caraway."

"And he sends his apologies," said Arin cheerfully. "He's in a meeting, but he asked me to answer your call instead."

Typical Caraway. He had no time for anyone, not even his future son-in-law. He caught Cloud casting a sidelong glance his way and wondered what he thought of the appearance of the young man on the screen in place of Caraway.

"And why are you there?" Squall asked. Arin should have returned to Galbadia Garden by now; he was supposed to be running the place, after all.

"I stuck around for a while after the party… diplomatic stuff, you know," said Arin, in a vague tone that suggested to Squall he had not been doing very much work at all. "Anyway, I was right there when the General heard that some of his officials had been conniving behind his back, and he asked me to get a couple of SeeDs ready to hunt them down. Since then, I've been waiting here, getting the news as soon as it comes in."

"What news?" Cloud cut in.

Arin looked at the blond mercenary in surprise. "Who are you?"

"He's an ally," said Squall. "You can speak freely in front of him. Tell us your news."

Arin grinned. "Get this: the whole city's been in an uproar. There were two rogues wandering about, kicking up hell – a gunman in a cape, and, even weirder, his talking pet. So Kelling phones up Caraway, tells him that two 'lab experiments' have escaped, and requests help to bring them in. Caraway's royally pissed off, 'cause he knows Kelling is scheming behind his back, but he can't say anything 'til he gets the go-ahead from you, so instead he refuses to supply Kelling with extra men and tells him he's gotta deal with it on his own. As far as we can make out, Kelling's men got their asses kicked, so we keep our guys standing by, just in case, but then the rogues just vanish! Seems like they left the city."

"We know," said Squall. "They came here."

Arin looked astonished, his eyes round like marbles. "They're in _Garden_? Really? The gunman and his pet?"

"Yes. You can tell Caraway that they're safe and they don't pose a danger to the city. They'll be leaving soon."

"All right, sir," said Arin, taking a notepad and scribbling something down. "I'll tell him."

"What happened after that?" Cloud prompted him.

Arin settled back in his chair. "Well, that's the last we hear from Kelling. We traced the call to his house, so I sent off a SeeD to keep watch on him – Ellie – you know her? Best stealth marks in the whole Garden. So she stakes out his house, waiting to see if he comes out. And he doesn't, so as soon as we get the go-ahead from Caraway, she breaks in to arrest him."

"And did she?"

"No. He wasn't there. The guy's done a runner."

* * *

The lab looked like a construction site. Bundles of tangled wires, pieces of machinery, and huge crates stacked on high, creating a backdrop of disarray which was matched by the frantic pacing of the scientists. Kyme was muttering into a mobile phone, his eyes darting around. He kept fiddling with his collar, first loosening it and then tightening it again. The sheer level of activity dazed Wedge; he stood in the doorway, gawping, until Biggs shoved him forward.

"Where's Kelling?" he asked. The question was directed at no one in particular, but a burly guard answered him.

"Haven't you heard? He's already gone. You'd better get moving; I'm sure they'll find a job for you to do – ask Holt over there, he's arranging it all."

He pointed at a scientist's back; the man appeared to be bending over a computer.

Biggs sighed. "Might as well go."

"There aren't that many people here, sir," said Wedge, looking around. Not including the two scientists, there were only four or five guards, all of them busy. Many faces he knew were missing.

"Gone with Kelling, maybe," said Biggs.

At that moment, a distracted-looking Holt looked up and saw them.

"You two!"

"Sir!" they said, starting to attention.

"Stop looking so gormless!" said Holt. "Get to work! Come on! They could be here any moment, so hurry up!"

His anxiety pricked Wedge's conscience; he was partly to blame for this panic. He had given away the laboratory's location – had Kelling known, or simply guessed? What were they supposed to do? And as Holt gave his orders, Wedge became increasingly puzzled. Surely fleeing could not have been Kelling's only plan?

* * *

"That son-of-a-bitch," Squall muttered.

"What about the other people working with Kelling?" Cloud asked. "The scientists – Holt? Kyme?"

"Both gone. They ran away like cowardly cactuars," Arin replied.

"Have you checked out the laboratory?"

"Nope. No-one knows where to find it."

"We know where it is now," said Cloud. "It's on Silver Street – get your men to check there."

Arin looked at Squall, waiting for his say in the matter. He thought about it. Only Vincent and Red knew the way to the laboratory by sight. Given directions, the SeeDs could probably locate it themselves, to find out if Kelling or any of his cronies were still lurking there. But he was planning to have Cloud and his companions escorted there anyway in the morning, and if Kelling and his allies fled, it would be harder to find them in the dark.

"Leave us to deal with the laboratory," he said.

Arin nodded. "Okay, boss."

"Call me if you find out any new information," said Squall.

"Will do. See you, sir, and good luck!" The screen went blank.

Squall looked back at Cloud. He had his arms folded and he gazed at Squall, pale eyebrows drawn in a frown.

"Now what?" he asked.

"We know where the portal is, but we don't know how to use it," said Squall. "That means you're still stuck here, until we find one of the scientists, or we find someone else who knows how to use it."

"Then we should go to the lab now. They might still be hiding there."

Squall shook his head. "They wouldn't hide there now we know where it is. Do you think Kelling would leave one of his scientists there, ready and waiting for you to make him take you home?"

Cloud shrugged. "I know one thing: I don't want to stick around this place any longer than I have to."

His tone was slightly accusing, which Squall thought unfair considering it wasn't his fault they were stuck in his world. He narrowed his eyes. "If you want to chase after those scientists, you might be stuck here for a long time."

"Do you have a better plan?" Cloud snapped.

"Yes. The Galbadians didn't invent the portal – they stole it."

"Then there are other people who can use the portal – the people it was stolen from?"

_He catches on fast_, Squall thought. "Yes," he replied. "The original creator of the portal – Doctor Odine."

"He'll help us?"

Squall nodded.

Cloud frowned slightly. "There are things I want to know – things I don't understand. Red and Vincent said the machine brought them through by itself. And somehow Kelling knew exactly where to find me and Yuffie – he knew exactly where we'd be…"

"Odine might be able to tell you. We're going to talk to him next." He started turning back towards his desk, ready to initiate the connection, but Cloud's voice stopped him.

"Wait. I want everyone to hear this."

Squall paused, his eyebrows lifting fractionally. "All of your friends?"

"Yes," said Cloud firmly.

He shrugged. "Whatever. Be back here in twenty minutes."

Cloud nodded. He walked over to the filing cabinet, hefted up his sword as though it were no more than a stick, and back to the door. One hand balanced the sword casually over his shoulder while the other gripped the door handle. Squall watched him go. Then he pressed the buzzer on his desk which would call Xu. If Cloud wanted his friends to hear what Odine had to say, then he wanted his friends to hear him too.


	21. Second Interlude

**21**

** Second Interlude  
**

The sun rose over Edge, pale and weak through the morning mist. Denzel and Marlene sat cross-legged on the pavement, their backs against the wall of the bar. Yesterday, Barret had forbidden them to go outside, so today they had sneaked out to keep watch while he was still asleep. Denzel stared at the place where Red and Vincent had vanished fiercely; perhaps by willing hard enough, he could cause them to materialise again.

_Was it magic?_ How else could they have disappeared so suddenly? Maybe they could return in the same way… or he could use the magic to go and find them.

As this new thought occurred, Denzel stood up. He walked forwards slowly, trying to remember where Red and Vincent had vanished. It had been somewhere to the left of the bar. Both the pavement and the road were deserted; few people were up at this early hour.

"Denzel?"

He ignored Marlene's voice and took another step. A breath of wind stirred. He felt excited, sure that this meant he could go through too – where, he did not know, but that didn't matter. He lifted up his hands, trying to catch the wind – an edge, a spark of magic, _something_.

Nothing. There was nothing.

He took another step, in case his estimate of the location was wrong. Still nothing. There was only the breeze, ruffling his hair.

"Denzel!"

He looked around at Marlene, who was still sitting down, her arms folded.

"You said we'd wait," she said reproachfully. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to disappear."

Her eyes begged him to stay. "No, Denzel, not you too…"

"Don't you want to find them, Marlene? Don't you want to know where they went?"

She nodded. "But I don't want to lose you too."

He sighed and scuffed at the pavement with the heel of his boot. "Nothing's happening anyway."

Disappointed, he returned to his vigil. He rested his elbows on his knees, deep in thought.

"It has to be magic, it has to be," he muttered. He had used magic only once, when Yuffie had let him handle a materia. They had been playing in the yard; Yuffie was babysitting. She usually acted disdainful towards them, but he had told her firmly that he wasn't a child; he would become a brave warrior like Cloud. She had laughed, saying, "I was already skilled in weaponry and materia magic by the time I was your age. What have you ever done? You look like a scruffy kid to me." Rashly, he had told her that he could already use materia; he used it all the time. And then she had tossed him the materia. "Prove it."

Determined to rise to the challenge, he had held the materia and concentrated as hard as he could. He would never forget that giddy feeling; the rush of magic tingling through his body. Yuffie had been jeering at him, half affectionately, half maliciously, and he wanted nothing more than to shut her up. The Silence spell had cut her off mid-sentence and for the next ten minutes he'd laughed as she mouthed at him silently, unable to voice her indignation.

That seemed a long time ago. Yuffie was missing too. He wouldn't have minded her teasing, if only he could see them all again.

But although he knew what the tang of magic felt like, he couldn't feel it.

* * *

Presently, they heard a tumult from inside the bar. Barret was crashing about. He yelled their names over and over again.

"I think he wants us," said Marlene.

"Go see him," said Denzel. He didn't want to leave the pavement for even a minute in case he missed something.

Marlene stood up and unlocked the door of the bar. She cried, "Papa!" Then she vanished for a minute or so, until Barret burst out of the entrance, carrying her. He looked like a bear holding a kitten.

"Do you got any idea how much you scared me?" he roared. "I thought you'd vanished too!"

"Sorry," said Denzel.

"Don't you ever do that to me again! Get inside! Now!" He pointed back to the bar.

"No," said Denzel steadily. "I'm staying out here."

"You're damned well not stayin' out here! You think I ain't got enough to worry about already?"

Denzel kept his gaze locked on the patch of air where Vincent and Red had vanished. Everything else seemed distant in comparison; even Barret's loud yells faded before they reached his ears.

"I'm staying out here," he repeated. "I'm waiting for Cloud and Tifa to come back."

"Please, Papa," said Marlene. "We want to watch for Cloud and Tifa."

"Watching won't make 'em come back any faster, sweetie," said Barret gruffly.

Fat tears welled up in Marlene's eyes. "Please," she repeated, and her voice broke. She pressed her cheek against his face so that he could feel the tears too. Barret hugged her. Denzel turned away and stonily kept watch.

"How long you been out here?" Barret asked. "You must be cold and hungry – it's warmer inside…"

Marlene sniffed. "Could we have breakfast out here? Please?"

"You oughta come inside – you'll catch your death-"

"Just for today," she begged.

Barret grunted. "Well – all right."

So a few minutes later, they were sitting outside on the sun warmed pavement, munching pieces of toast. As time passed, the street grew busier; cars and trucks roared by. The hard pavement made his bones and muscles ache. They took it in turns to walk about and stretch. But still there was no sign of their missing parents and friends, not even a shimmer in the air.

Eventually, Barret disappeared, leaving Cait Sith to look after them. If it were not for the cat, Denzel thought he might have given up long before out of boredom, but Cait Sith kept up a constant stream of anecdotes and jokes for their amusement.

"Cloud went missing before, y'know," the cat said. He told them how Cloud was sucked into the Lifestream – lost, no one knew where, yet they didn't give up. They travelled all over the world in their airship and eventually learned of an island where the Lifestream sometimes erupted like a volcano. There, in Mideel, they found him. The story was supposed to cheer them up, remind them that lost friends could be found and that Cloud could overcome anything. "Wherever they are," Cait Sith finished, "you can bet they're doing jus' fine."

Normally, this tale would have fascinated Denzel. Cloud had told him about parts of his journey, but his memory seemed oddly patchy; he tended to contradict himself and he sometimes forgot whether he had really been involved in an incident or whether it had been Zack. All he had said about the events in Mideel was that Tifa had saved him. But thinking about his parents now was painful.

The traffic was at its peak – _it must be late afternoon_, Denzel thought – when Cait Sith happened to mention that he had once been a fortune telling machine. That excited their interest.

"Could you tell our fortunes now?" Marlene asked.

"Could you predict what's gonna happen to Cloud and Tifa?" Denzel asked. "When will they come home?"

"Well… to tell the truth, the fortune telling was only a gimmick," said Cait Sith. "But I can give it a go."

He hopped from Marlene's lap on to the pavement, narrowly avoiding being trodden on by a passer-by. Then he closed his eyes and swayed, swinging his arms backwards and forwards and humming to himself. Marlene looked impressed, but Denzel raised his eyebrows sceptically. He looked back towards the vanishing spot. The passer-by walked right through it. Nothing happened. The street was now empty of pedestrians.

"What's that?" Marlene asked, and he turned his head, distracted by Cait Sith. The cat had a slip of paper in his mouth, which he pulled out and handed to Marlene triumphantly.

"There ya go!"

She unrolled the scrap of paper and read the words out slowly. Cloud had been teaching her to read, so he resisted the urge to snatch the paper and scan it himself.

"'A bright fortune. The sun shall always come out from behind the clouds. Seek, and you shall find your heart's desire.'"

"Well read, missy!" said Cait Sith.

Denzel snorted. "What's it supposed to mean?"

"Ya gotta work that out for yourself," said Cait Sith.

He rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the pavement – and started. A man had appeared, his wide-brimmed hat pulled low over his eyes, taking an unsteady stride forward right in front of the vanishing spot. Denzel had been watching the street only a few seconds ago and there was no way this man could have had time to get here that fast when nobody had been there before… Unless he had just gotten out of a car, but Denzel hadn't heard anybody slow down; the traffic had been steady.

He sprang to his feet. "Hey! Are you all right?"

The man looked towards him. With another jolt, Denzel recognised his thickset features.

"I'm fine, son," said Piet, wiping his hand over his forehead. But he didn't look fine at all; he looked pale and clammy. He drew his coat around him with shaking hands and frowned at Denzel.

"But you just appeared!" said Denzel. "I never saw you walking down the street – did you – did you…?" He couldn't quite think how to describe the phenomenon. _Did you appear from thin air? Did you use magic? _

"Don't be silly," said Piet. "What are you talking about?"

Denzel gestured helplessly at the vanishing spot. He was beginning to feel foolish; Piet was a patron of Seventh Heaven; he had probably strolled along hoping that the bar might be open – come to think of it, he had appeared the same night that Red and Vincent had disappeared…

Marlene got up, looking between them with wide eyes. "What is it, Denzel?"

"Him," he said, "he just appeared from thin air; he wasn't there a minute ago!"

Marlene turned her gaze on Piet. "Did you get lost like Red and Vincent did?"

"Lost? No, of course not, I'm exactly where I intended to be and if you don't mind, you children are in my way!"

Piet tried to push past them but then broke into a fit of coughs.

"Are you okay?" Marlene asked, alarmed.

Denzel took the opportunity to steady Piet, one hand on his back. Cait Sith hopped around their feet curiously; Denzel ignored him and hissed into Piet's ear, "I saw you! I know you came from – from – somewhere…"

Piet's coughing fit subsided. He looked at Denzel and wheezed, "If you've finished with your nonsense, perhaps you could tell me if Barret is still on the premises?"

"Yeah, he is," said Denzel, "but the bar isn't open."

"No matter," said Piet. "I only wish to ask him something."

"You could ask us," said Denzel. Instinct told him that Piet was hiding something and he didn't like the idea that Piet might tell Barret and ignore him just because he was a kid.

"Oh, and I suppose you children would know where to find Rufus Shinra?"

"Rufus Shinra?" All three of them repeated the name, Denzel in a tone of horror, Marlene in a hushed whisper, and Cait Sith sounding disbelieving. He picked Cait Sith up so that the cat could look at Piet face-on. A stranger would never guess that the toy cat had connections to Shinra, but Denzel was one of the few who knew that Cait Sith was really controlled by Reeve, who had once worked for the President.

"Whaddya want with Rufus Shinra?" Cait Sith asked.

"A talking toy cat," said Piet faintly. "A talking toy cat has the answer I'm looking for?"

"Yup, I do, actually," said Cait Sith. "But ya can't just stroll up to Rufus Shinra, not without an appointment."

"Then how can I arrange an appointment?"

"Try talking to a Turk."

There was a pause, in which Piet passed his hand over his eyes and Denzel and Marlene both stared at him. Then Piet said, "I don't suppose you'd know where I could find a Turk?"

"Nope."

"They come to the bar sometimes," Marlene piped up.

Denzel elbowed her; he didn't want to help Piet – men who did business with the Turks were almost inevitably of the shady kind, but Marlene had already spoken. Luckily, she took the hint, but for Piet it was enough.

"Thank you," he said. "I may come along tonight."

"The bar's closed," said Denzel.

"Oh, yes," said Piet. "Is Tifa still missing?"

Marlene nodded. "And Cloud and Yuffie and Vincent and Red too…"

"What a shame," said Piet. "I hoped to offer my condolences to Barret in person."

"We'll tell him," said Denzel.

Piet nodded. He tipped his hat, said goodbye, and walked off. Denzel stared after him.

"I still think he appeared from the air."

Cait Sith twisted in his arms. "Are you sure, lad?"

"Yeah… and what's he up to, trying to meet up with Rufus Shinra?" Denzel had never seen Rufus himself, at least not in person, but he bore a hatred of the ex-President from a lifetime as a Midgar citizen. No well-meaning citizen consorted with a Shinra. His instincts kept niggling at him – now was the time to take action! He kept his eyes fixed on Piet's receding back and put Cait Sith down.

"What're ya doing?" Cait Sith asked, as he started walking forwards.

"I'm gonna follow him," said Denzel. "Marlene, tell Barret I'll be back soon."

Piet turned a corner and Denzel broke into a trot; he didn't want to lose him. Behind him, he heard Marlene's plaintive cry: "Denzel!" He ignored her. He couldn't let anybody stop him.

"Denzel!" said another, much closer voice. It came from somewhere around his feet. He looked down and saw Cait Sith, keeping up with him. The cat moved surprisingly fast. "Denzel, you can't follow him!"

"And you can't stop me." He checked up and down the road for cars and crossed the street. There was his quarry – walking slowly, his head down and his shoulders hunched. He didn't look back. Denzel kept a safe distance behind him while Cait Sith danced around his ankles.

"Denzel, don't do this! I'm a good spy – let _me_ follow Piet!"

"If you want to come with me, you can," he said. "But I'm going after him. It's not your parents who are missing."

"They're my friends too. They wouldn't want you to risk your life!"

"It's only dangerous if we get caught," said Denzel, ducking behind a rubbish bin as Piet glanced their way before crossing the road. He was inconspicuous: a single orphan child in dull clothes, blending in with hundreds of other homeless children who walked the streets. He could see a few now, hanging around an alley entrance, staring at them wide-eyed. Cait Sith stood out more despite his small size.

"Oh – all right," said Cait Sith. "But be careful!"

Denzel grinned. "Gotcha! Anyway, you're here to look out for me, right?" He scooped up the cat, tucked him beneath one arm, partially covered by his jacket, and then darted across the road after Piet.

* * *

They didn't go far. Five minutes later, Piet stopped at the entrance to a block of flats. Stained dark by pollution and rain, they loomed up grim and grey. Denzel knew this part of town. It would not be hard for him to find it again. He hung back by a shop entrance, Cait Sith peeping out, as Piet typed in a code on the keypad next to the door and then walked inside.

"I guess that must be where he lives," Denzel murmured. "How do we get in?"

"We don't," Cait Sith whispered back. "I'll wait here for him to come back out and follow him, how about that?"

"And what do I do?"

"You go home."

"I won't!" Denzel looked back at the flats. He had come this far. He wanted to find out what Piet was up to. Walking home wasn't exactly a suspicious activity; he couldn't go back to face Barret's anger with nothing to show for it but an address.

"Then how will you get in?" Cait Sith asked.

"Any ideas?"

Silence. Denzel scowled; he felt sure Cait Sith was being unhelpful on purpose.

"I'll think of a way myself," he said. This place didn't look like it had much security – no buildings did, in this part of Edge. Half of them were falling apart; patchwork homes hastily put together from scraps of old Midgar. He gazed up at the flats. The windows had iron bar grilles. Drainage pipes ran down from the flat roof right to the gutter below, but he didn't think he could climb them, and someone was bound to notice.

He decided to examine the building more closely, so with a whispered command to Cait Sith to keep quiet, he hurried over to the entrance. The plain door was locked, of course. He had to stand on his tiptoes to peer at the keypad, which was set into an alcove next to the door. Another plaque beside the keypad had an array of brass buttons, all marked with numbers and letters. Denzel frowned for a moment, until he realised that the buttons were doorbells, one for each residence. If he wanted, he could call Piet – if only he knew which room the man lived in.

Well, there was an idea. Denzel pressed on a button at random. A few seconds later, the intercom crackled.

"Who is it?" An irate female voice.

"Hi, I'm looking for Piet… is he in?"

"Piet? You've got the wrong number, you stupid twit."

"How rude," Cait Sith muttered.

"I – I'm sorry," said Denzel. "Could you tell me which room Piet is in?"

"Right at the top, isn't he? Penthouse – well, if you could call this dump a penthouse. Are you a kid?" the voice added. "You sound young."

"I'm his nephew."

"Huh. Well, whoever you are, you're an idiot. Get your uncle to give you the right number next time. I'm bloody sick of idiots getting the wrong number."

The intercom crackled again; the irate woman had gone. "Sour old cow," he muttered.

"A very nice woman, don't ya think?" said Cait Sith.

He laughed. But despite the woman's attitude, they had made progress – they knew where Piet lived. All that remained was to get to the penthouse.

* * *

A strong wind blew back his hair. Up here, he was exposed to the elements. Denzel was scratched, dirty and tired – but elated. With Cait Sith's help, he had sneaked around the back of the building and climbed up. Or, more accurately, he had climbed up the building next to the flats, which was a church and thus heavily carved with plenty of convenient crevices, and then jumped on to the window ledge of one of the apartments. He held on to the metal bars to prevent himself from slipping as he edged along.

"Look, a balcony!" said Cait Sith.

He craned his head. Cait Sith was right; above and to his right a balcony jutted out. That had to be the penthouse apartment. If he could just get up there… Cait Sith scrambled from under his jacket up to his shoulder and then his head. Denzel felt as though he was wearing an oddly shaped party hat.

"Hold me up and I'll jump first."

Denzel knew what Cait Sith meant. But picking him up meant that he had to let go of the window bars. The ledge was narrow and the wind buffeted his body, making it hard to keep his balance. He planted his feet wide apart, as firmly as he could. Cait Sith clung to his hair.

"Careful!"

One hand still clutching the grille, he picked up Cait Sith with the other. Tucking the cat against his body was easy enough, but holding him up against the wind one-handed was more difficult. He would have to use both. Denzel twisted, leaning his back against the window. With both hands, he lifted Cait Sith as high as he could. The cat wriggled in his grasp, jumped and landed neatly on the balcony. The sudden shift in weight as he left Denzel's grip threw him off-balance; Denzel teetered for a moment, heart pounding, but managed to pull himself back and grip the iron bars again.

Cait Sith peered over the edge of the balcony. "I'm not sure you can get up here," he said. "I'll go poke about and then report to you, how about that?"

Denzel shook his head. "I want to get up there. I'm going to jump!"

"Wait! Wait just a minute!" Cait Sith disappeared.

Denzel bit his lip. He couldn't tell if Cait Sith intended to come back and help him or if he had gone to spy by himself. His whole body shook as he tried to muster up the courage to leap. But then Denzel made the mistake of looking down – and gulped. Five storeys down. He doubted that he'd survive a drop like that. Perhaps, if he was more like Cloud, he could make it, but Denzel knew he still had some growing up to do before that became possible. Cloud had Mako and materia to strengthen him. Denzel was only a skinny kid, clinging on to a window ledge.

He closed his eyes and took deep breaths to calm himself, trying not to think about what would happen if he missed. Something light and bristly touched his face. Surprised, Denzel opened his eyes, to find a length of rope dangling in front of him. He looked up. Cait Sith held the other end of the rope.

"I tied it to the balcony," said Cait Sith. "It should hold. C'mon now, before I change my mind!"

Denzel grinned. Elation filled him once again – they were in luck. It was as though this mission was meant to be. He climbed up the rope, using the wall of the building to steady his feet, until he reached the curve of the balcony and Cait Sith helped him over. The rope scraped his hands but he didn't care. He jumped down from the wall of the balcony and looked around.

A single chair stood on the carved stone floor. Next to it was an open chest with an array of instruments inside, including a magnifying glass, a microscope and a pair of binoculars. An odd set of objects, but Denzel couldn't fail to notice that they were all of the observing kind. Was Piet a spy?

"Over here," Cait Sith whispered.

He crept over to the balcony doors, where Cait Sith was peering through the glass at the room inside. Gossamer curtains flapped around the glass door and windows. The door was ajar. Denzel kept to one side, hoping that Piet wouldn't spot his silhouette, and stared into the room. What he saw made his heart race.

Piet sat at a desk, his chair swivelled around to face away from it. He was looking at another man, who lay sprawled, bound and gagged, against the bed. The second man's long ragged hair and beard covered most of his face. His arms were forced behind him, tied with rope, and his legs were also tied together.

Piet's mouth moved, and Denzel listened as hard as he could, hoping that his voice would carry beyond the balcony door.

"…Interesting developments back home," Piet was saying. "Interesting… or possibly catastrophic, who knows? Either way, we must proceed faster than we originally intended. My sisters might be needed before the end. I wonder, friend, what do you know about Rufus Shinra? Your notes look incomplete."

Denzel shrank back as Piet got up, but he didn't glance towards the balcony. Instead, he stooped down in front of the second man and removed his gag. The second man's wheezy breathing sounded loud and painful, and then he retched and Denzel's own throat closed in sympathy. A dull thump indicated that Piet had slapped the man across the cheek.

"Come on, friend. Tell me everything you know about Rufus Shinra."

More coughs and splutters followed. Denzel risked peering around the curtain again, to see that Piet was now kneeling by his prisoner, holding a pad of paper and a pen. Denzel was puzzled. Writing instruments weren't exactly dangerous – why didn't the prisoner attempt to fight back or even to move?

The prisoner's voice was as ragged as his appearance. "I wrote down everything I knew."

Piet waved the notebook in his face. "Are you certain? You don't know where he might be found, for instance?"

The prisoner shook his head. Denzel stared at him, still puzzled, and it took him a few more seconds to recognise the look in his eyes. Defeat. This man had been a prisoner for a long time. _The poor man_, Denzel thought, full of pity. But who was he?

"Have you ever met him?"

"Once," the prisoner answered. "Very briefly."

"And what kind of a man would you say he was?"

"One used to power."

"Yet his government collapsed. What does he do now?"

"I believe he works behind the scenes. He still has influence, though not obvious. Please," the prisoner added, "could I have some water?"

"Not yet, friend. Is Rufus still hungry for power?"

The prisoner shrugged. "People like him always are."

Piet smiled coldly. "I think you're right, friend. I've worked for many of his type. Different world, same people. Human nature never changes."

Denzel turned to Cait Sith beside him. "A different world?" he mouthed. Cait Sith shrugged.

He looked back at Piet to find that he had stood up and was turning towards them. Alarmed, Denzel withdrew hastily from the curtain. Cait Sith hopped away.

"He's seen us!" Cait Sith hissed.

Denzel's heart rate jumped up again. He heard footsteps heading their way; without waiting for Piet to find them, he dashed across the balcony, Cait Sith on his heels. The rope was still tied to the wall. As Denzel leapt on to the wall, Piet shouted, "Hey!"

No need to look back. They had to get away. His fingers found the rope; he held on tight and swung his body over the edge. Piet gave a startled cry. Something like a football hit his head and Denzel cried out too, before realising it was Cait Sith.

"Time to go!" said the cat.

"Gotcha," Denzel panted, sliding down the rope dangerously fast. His feet hit the window ledge and he grabbed for the grille. He risked a glance upwards, but couldn't see anything over the jutting balcony. If he could edge below it, Piet couldn't possibly see him either from that angle… Denzel shuffled along as fast as he could, hoping that his hammering heart wouldn't give him away. Once the balcony above him cast his face into shadow, he stopped. There were no windows here. His hands splayed out across the wall, clutching what they could of the rough stone. He imagined Piet peering out over the balcony, searching for him.

"Do you think he's still up there?" he asked.

"Dunno. I'll go check."

Cait Sith leapt nimbly off his head and scampered along the window ledge, his white face turned upwards. Halfway along, he paused, his tail waving from side to side. "He's gone!"

Denzel sighed in relief, but immediately felt scared again at the prospect of climbing back down. What if Piet had rushed downstairs and was waiting for him? _Well, he won't find me_, Denzel decided. _I'll climb around the other side of the church and get down that way._

Piet's words echoed in his head. _Different world, same people. _Was that just a metaphor? Denzel didn't think so. It seemed his suspicions were right; Piet came from another place – literally, another world, and his parents were trapped there. He had to tell Barret.


	22. Paradox

**22**

** Paradox**

Squall had never seen his office so crowded. At first he had been sitting at his desk with his chair swivelled round to face the big vidscreen on the wall, as he usually did. But with so many people standing around him, all peering at the screen too, he found that he didn't like being so much lower than everybody else, so he moved to sit on the desk itself, next to Rinoa. He looked around, counting the people in the room.

Xu, of course, by the door, her hands clasped neatly behind her. Selphie and Irvine stood behind him, Selphie all excited because she was about to see Laguna again. Cloud and Tifa were beside them, craning their heads to see properly. In the most shadowy corner, next to a filing cabinet, was Vincent, watching them all with his arms folded. To his disquiet, that animal had found a vantage point on top of the filing cabinet itself. It was curled up, its tail twisting lazily about – what if it set the office on fire? Yuffie stood next to Seifer, who had somehow known the exact time and place of this meeting. She jumped up and down once or twice and complained loudly that she wasn't tall enough to see over the SeeDs' heads. Zell leaned against the sill of the open window, from time to time casting a scowl towards Seifer. And finally, Watts was nearest to the vidscreen itself, to the right of the desk. He squinted up at it.

Thirteen people, if he included the red-furred creature. God, no wonder it was so hot despite the open window. A dull murmur filled the room.

"Pick up, will you," he muttered. The line was connected. Laguna had this infuriating habit of waiting until three rings had gone before picking up, even on pre-arranged calls, when he must be right there waiting to contact them. Three rings to smooth his hair, straighten his collar and put his beaming Presidential smile in place, Squall supposed.

Sure enough, on the third ring, the screen crackled. The murmuring in the room died down as the picture came into focus. And there was his father: crinkled shirt, hair smoothed back in a ponytail, bright smile switched on.

"Hey there, Squall!"

"Good evening," said Squall.

Laguna's eyes shifted across the room, taking in everyone that he could see. They were all in his line of vision, just about, although Vincent's figure was probably obscure and he wouldn't be able to see much of Watts. He had a smile for every person his gaze passed across. "Wow," he said. "I see you've got quite the crowd. Are these our visitors from another world?"

"Everyone you don't recognise," Squall confirmed.

"Then I should introduce myself. I'm President Laguna Loire – but please call me Laguna. I'd shake hands with you all, but being in another country makes that a little bit difficult…" He chuckled, and several other people in the room did so too.

Squall sensed the change in the atmosphere. It was warmer, friendlier. And when Cloud introduced himself and his companions, his voice was more welcoming than Squall had ever heard it. Laguna had that effect on most people; they all liked him instantly. A gift his father had not passed on to him. He scowled.

"We rescued Watts from the prison, as you requested. He's here now."

"Great!" said Laguna. "Thank you!"

Watts stood up to greet Laguna, obscuring the screen. With Watts' help, Squall briefly explained how the mission had gone. Watts was irritatingly grateful to the President for freeing him – _it was my SeeDs who actually got him out_, he thought.

"You should be thanking the people who rescued you," said Laguna, echoing Squall's thoughts. His magnanimous behaviour did not improve Squall's mood.

Eventually, they agreed that Watts should to return to Timber, a place he had missed very much. Watts sat down again, a happy smile on his face. _Some people are easily pleased._

"I'm sorry I can't be there in person," Laguna went on, looking back at Squall. "It would take days for me to arrange a personal visit to Galbadia. But I do have someone here with me who would very much like to see you."

"You brought Doctor Odine?" said Squall.

"You vant me to talk to them now?" a voice off-screen asked.

"Just a moment," said Laguna. He turned back to the camera. "Yeah, I managed to pry Odine away from his lab long enough for him to agree to talk to you. He has one condition: he wants to come to Garden as soon as possible to collect his portal."

"We can arrange that," he said, "for a fee."

"Of course," said Laguna, grinning wryly. "I would expect nothing else. When will it be ready?"

Squall looked at Cloud. They wanted to go home as early as possible, for which he couldn't blame them. And now that Tifa was safe, they knew the location of the laboratory, and they had Doctor Odine to show them how the portal worked, there was no reason to delay.

"Tomorrow," he said. Cloud nodded. His companions looked happier; Yuffie punched the air and cried, "Yes! We're going home!" Only Seifer scowled.

On the screen, Laguna turned his head to talk to someone they couldn't see. He heard Doctor Odine mutter his assent.

"Now, can we talk to him?" Squall asked.

Laguna nodded. "It's good to see that you're all safe. You and Rinoa should come and visit us after this business is over, Squall. Ellone would like to see you."

Rinoa squeezed his hand, but he was spared the trouble of formulating a reply because Laguna waved at them, grinning, and got up. His long shirt obscured the screen and then he went off-camera, leaving only a blank wall as a backdrop.

A flicker of movement announced Odine's arrival. The scientist settled himself in front of the camera and his fussy face filled the screen, partially obscured by an enormous ruff. Squall caught a glimpse of multi-coloured robes beneath it. The little man squinted at them all importantly. Despite the fact that his office was full of outlandish strangers, Squall still thought that he had never seen anyone more eccentric looking than Doctor Odine.

"Greetings," said Odine in his peculiar accent. "Iz that Squall?"

"Good evening, Doctor Odine," he replied.

"And all zese people around you, zey are all from ze other vorld?"

"Some of them."

Odine looked delighted. His ruff bobbed up and down as he nodded. "Excellent! So my machine iz still in vorking order?"

"We're not sure," said Squall. "Odine, we want to know – the machine brought two people through spontaneously – do you know why it did that? Is it malfunctioning?"

"Nothing I have created malfunctions!" said Odine, outraged. "At least, not often," he amended. "My machine brought two people through ze portal on its own, did you say? Explain."

Squall looked at Vincent, who didn't move out of his shadowy corner, but raised his voice to tell Odine what had happened. The scientist frowned.

"Ah… so ze field iz becoming unstable… zey know not vat zey vork vith, zese foolish Galbadians!"

"What do you mean?" Squall asked.

Odine sighed. "I vill try to make zis as simple as possible. Listen: my beautiful machine, it vill shift people through space and time in an instant! Ven it connects, zere iz a rift between zis vorld and ze other. But ze field has a limited extension. Once it has fixed a geographical location, it can only take people from a small area of space-time. To change zis, you must reset ze co-ordinates completely – but zis iz very difficult, very fiddly. Now, zese Galbadians, zey have not changed the co-ordinates. Zey vork vith ze preset program. How do I know? Because ze field iz becoming unstable. Every time zey use ze portal, zey damage ze gap between zat vorld and our own. Ze rift, it gets stronger. But zis iz only a theory. I have not been able to test it, because ze portal vas stolen! All my research vas lost."

"So you're only guessing?" said Squall, frowning in his attempt to follow all this.

"It iz a guess, yes! But it iz an educated guess."

From the scowl Odine directed at him, Squall concluded that the scientist thought his guess was right. They didn't have anything else to go on; it was either believe his theory or remain in ignorance.

Selphie leaned over Irvine's shoulder and spoke. "Say, Doctor Odine, when you say you lost your research, do you mean that the Galbadians stole it all? So you couldn't tell us how to work the machine?"

"Everything – zey stole everything! But I still remember how to use ze machine. I have all ze blueprints in my head."

"So why didn't you just build another machine?" Zell asked.

This simple question seemed to anger Odine. "I could not just build another machine, you buffoon! Ze machine iz unique! Zere can only be one." He forestalled Zell's next obvious question by glaring at him. "It has one very special component – a unique component! Vithout zis, ze portal cannot function at all! It iz useless!"

"What's this unique component?" Irvine asked curiously.

"It iz a glowing orb from ze future!"

The room stirred; its occupants let out collective breaths or whispered to each other. Squall raised his voice over the murmur.

"You took something from the _future_? You weren't supposed to do that; you said it could disrupt the flow of time!"

"During Time Compression, yes," said Odine, shooting him a dirty look. "But zis object iz very special; it stood out at once from ze rest of time."

"But how did you find it?"

"Ven you vere fighting Ultimecia, Ellone found it. Time scattered; ze rest of us barely knew vat vas happening. But she recognised it all, ze contours, ze fluctuations – ah, I could spend a lifetime studying Ellone and her mastery of time, and learn almost nothing of vat there iz to know – but, zis object, it did not behave in ze usual vays. Ellone picked it up and ven Time Compression ended, she still had it."

"And you took it from her," said Squall, his jaw clenching. He did not like to hear his sister spoken of as a test subject, even though she willingly let Odine continue his research into time in Esthar. They hadn't seen each other in person for weeks; he wondered if she had been helping Odine, if she knew about any of this…

"This glowing orb," said Cloud. "Could you describe it? How big is it? What colour?"

"About ze size of a ping pong ball, and glowing green."

A few people gasped. He turned his head and saw Yuffie jump onto Seifer's shoulders. She wrapped her legs around him, piggyback style, and held up her shuriken, in the handle of which was inserted a glowing orb…

"You mean something like this?" Yuffie called, taking out the orb and waving it in front of the screen.

Odine's eyebrows shot up. His face bobbed up and down and the sound dissolved into static – he appeared to be dancing and muttering excitedly, and Squall strained to catch his words.

"Zat's it! Zat's it!" he cried. He finally calmed down, coming so close to the screen that his entire face filled it. "How did you get hold of zat, little girl?"

"It's mine!" said Yuffie, apparently taking offence at being called 'little girl'. "It's called materia, old man, and it belongs to me!"

"Materia? It iz from your vorld? Then zis proves my theories! Yes! It all vorks out!" He laughed gleefully.

Squall still wasn't following him. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I vill explain," said Odine, sounding delighted at the prospect. "Ven I first obtained ze orb, I thought it came from ze future. For of course since we had found it in Ultimecia's time, it must come from Ultimecia's time, yes? Ellone told me zat zere vas magic in ze stone, but magic she had never seen before. How exciting, I thought – perhaps it iz a part of ze machine Ultimecia used to compress time, a very special kind of magic! And since I knew I must make ze first prototype of zis machine, I thought it a gift from ze future – ze start of my research! So I attempted to create a time portal, using ze orb as ze bridge between zis time and Ultimecia's. Ze orb came from zat time, I reasoned, so if I could harness ze magic within it, it could take me back to its own time.

"But Ellone told me zat ze orb vas not of Ultimecia's time. It had been zere, she said, but it vas not from zere. And I thought zat perhaps ze orb vould take me to ze past – to ze point of its origin. It mattered not. Ze point vas to create a machine zat could bridge time.

"I vill not explain ze complications, ze many calculations it took to create a vorking machine. But I did it, and I set ze orb at ze heart of ze machine and I started ze program – and it vorked! One of my best scientists vent through. And zen ze research began, for I vanted to know vat time ze portal vent to. But instead ve found a vorld zat vas very strange. It did not look like our vorld at all.

"And zat – materia, you say? It iz from your vorld. Zen everything makes complete sense. Ellone vas right about ze materia – it should not be in our time at all!"

Irvine looked confused. "You mean it should be back in the future or past or whenever?"

"No," said Odine impatiently, "I mean it does not belong to any of our time! It iz from another time altogether. From your time." He looked at Cloud and his allies.

Squall struggled to take all this in. He sensed that the others around him were doing the same. Cloud and Tifa looked completely confused – but then, they probably hadn't understood the references to Ultimecia and time compression, which would make everything seem incomprehensible. Watts sat humming to himself; perhaps he wasn't listening at all. Irvine and Selphie whispered to each other, while Zell had his face screwed up, in a rare expression Squall had come to associate with him thinking hard.

It was Rinoa who stirred and spoke next. "If the materia is from Cloud's world, how did it get here in the first place? What was it doing in Ultimecia's time?"

More looks were exchanged. Then Yuffie, still hoisted on Seifer's back, opened her mouth guiltily.

"I kinda – lost a materia."

"She threw it down a monster's throat!" said Seifer, laughing, and Yuffie tumbled from his shoulders.

"When did that happen?" asked Squall, narrowing his eyes.

Rinoa tugged at his arm. He turned to her. "Squall, I'm sorry," she said, a hint of desperation in her voice. "The materia you gave to me – I lent it to Seifer, in case he could use it on the mission – and, and that's when they lost it. I'm really sorry."

He stared at her. She was being so apologetic, as though she had done something terrible. That made him suspicious. He had entrusted the materia to her, and she had passed it on to Seifer, as though it was nothing, just a toy! She had betrayed his trust and given Yuffie an extra chance to work against them had she turned out to be an enemy. He felt the familiar burning sensation in his stomach, but there was nothing he could do about it – he couldn't shout at her here, now. Her eyes seemed to beg him for forgiveness. He turned away, swallowing the words which itched to get out of his throat.

"A monster ate the materia," Irvine was saying slowly. Squall started; he hadn't been listening, but everyone else was still discussing the matter.

"More like choked on it," said Yuffie.

"Wait, I'm trying to think," said Irvine. "So that means…"

"The materia wasn't destroyed?" Selphie asked. "The monster didn't crush it or smash it or anything?"

Yuffie shot her a withering look. "You can't destroy materia that easily!"

"If it only got stuck in the monster's gullet, it would have survived," said Cloud.

"So that means…" Irvine repeated, frowning in concentration.

"The hell I know," Zell muttered.

"It means the materia lasted all the way through to Ultimecia's time, when it got picked up by Ellone!" said Selphie triumphantly.

"Aha!" boomed Odine's voice, startling them. "Yes, that iz exactly it!"

"So the materia that brought us through is the same one that Yuffie dropped?" asked Tifa.

A few people nodded. Others looked as though they had a headache.

"But if Yuffie hadn't dropped the materia, the portal could never have been created and Yuffie never would have got a chance to drop the materia… The only reason we came through in the first place is because of something she did after we came through!"

Now Squall had a headache.

"Zat is right," said Odine. "You are a clever girl."

"But… but…" Tifa seemed to be struggling with this concept. "Does that mean we never had a choice? That all this had to happen? Was it… inevitable?"

"No!" said Yuffie. "No, it can't have been! Screw destiny! I don't believe in it!"

He saw that Cloud looked troubled too. Squall had been through this before, and he hadn't liked it either. His fate had been pre-ordained since childhood. He did not, however, know what his destiny was after destroying Ultimecia. He wasn't sure which was worse: having a set destiny and being unable to avoid it, or not knowing what he was supposed to do and drifting along in time with no sense of purpose.

"Edea told me," said Rinoa, "that we are all the children of Fate." Her voice rose above the mutterings of everyone else and they fell silent. "At first I thought she meant only the legendary SeeDs. But now I wonder… maybe it applies to us all."

"That sure makes me feel better," Seifer muttered.

The silence disintegrated once more; little conversations broke out across the room. Seifer and Yuffie appeared to have found something in common with their dislike of destiny. Irvine was wondering what their problem was. He caught the word 'sin' from Cloud and Tifa said, "That doesn't make us any less guilty – they were still our choices to make."

"Odine," said Squall loudly. "Did you say earlier that a man went into the other world?"

The room quietened again as everyone waited for his answer.

"Yes," said Odine, "and it vas a great annoyance to lose him! Veeks of research, vasted!"

"I'm sorry," said Rinoa. "Did he die during the attack?"

"No! He vas still in ze other vorld ven ze Galbadians attacked!"

"You mean he's stuck there?" said Rinoa, aghast.

Cloud called over her. "Who was it?" he asked. "We could try to find him and bring him back for you."

"Once I have my machine back, I can locate him myself! Ze man iz one of my top scientists: Piet."

_Piet_? He recognised that name. Squall had to frown and think a little before it came to him: he had met Piet on the space shuttle a year ago, just before the Lunar Cry. But clearly, he wasn't the only one who recognised the name, for Tifa let out a cry.

"I knew him! He used to come in the bar some evenings… He'd talk to all the patrons, ask them about Meteorfall and make notes… He said he was doing research for a book…"

"Yes," said Odine, "he compiled a great many notes and every veek he came back to present a copy to me – but all ze copies in zis vorld vere destroyed."

Tifa didn't appear to be listening; she continued talking, her expression dazed.

"But a few weeks ago, he stopped coming… And then another man appeared; he said he was Piet's cousin and that he was continuing his research while his cousin was ill…"

"Another man?" said Squall sharply.

"Zat cannot be our man," said Odine, his bright eyes boring into Tifa's. "Ze Galbadians must have sent a spy into your vorld."

Tifa looked distressed; she was shaking her head as she spoke.

"Yes, we called him Piet too, because they were related – do you remember him, Cloud? I think I introduced you once… And-" Tifa sucked in a sharp breath. "He must have heard all about us! Nearly everyone in town knows that Cloud stopped Sephiroth and Yuffie – oh, Yuffie, you and your big mouth! You always started bragging when you got drunk-"

"Hey!" said Yuffie. "It's not my fault! How was I supposed to know the guy was working for Kelling?"

"It doesn't matter," said Cloud wearily. "Now we know how Kelling knew so much about us."

"We must search for this man," came Vincent's dark voice out of the corner. "He is an intruder in our world."

Squall looked at Cloud. He had sounded tired, although none of his fatigue showed on his face. Behind those weirdly glowing eyes, there was a glint of determination. Cloud was the leader of his group. He could tell by the movements of the others, the way their eyes flicked towards him as they spoke, the way their bodies unconsciously turned towards him, the way they all listened when he had something to say. It was Cloud, therefore, he turned to ask, "Will you deal with him when you return?"

"We'll find him," said Cloud firmly.

"Good," said Squall. "Odine, we'll set off to secure the portal as soon as you've arrived."

"Very vell. I vill see you all tomorrow." Odine's eyes lingered on Red, and Squall had the feeling that he would like to delay their return in the name of his research. But he wasn't going to pander to the scientist's whims, and he doubted that Cloud would either. The portal had caused enough trouble already.

"Goodbye," said Squall. He shut off the connection and Odine's face vanished. Then he sighed, letting his body slump back on the desk, and as he did so realised that his muscles had been tense for a while without him noticing. A buzz of chatter filled the room; the air was stifling with the heat of so many bodies. He felt Rinoa's hand touch his shoulder.

"Squall…"

He didn't look at her, but shrugged her off and stood up. Ignoring Rinoa, he barked out orders to all the SeeDs. Zell was to escort Watts back to Timber. Irvine should be getting back to his duties as an instructor. Selphie was to take Cloud and his companions back downstairs, where they were free to spend the evening however they liked. Xu he told to get back to her office; she always had some work or other to do. Seifer shouldn't even be there in the first place, so he should just piss off.

When they had all departed, Squall returned to his chair and sat in stony silence. Rinoa had followed them to the door to say goodbye. She hesitated, looking at him, but he refused to meet her gaze. For once, it seemed she didn't know what to say, because she shook her head and slipped out, closing the door quietly behind her.

He was left in silence, the heat hanging over him like a suffocating blanket. Echoes of words seemed to linger in the air, some spoken, many unspoken. Her cheeks had been wet. But she hadn't confronted him. He thought of their previous arguments. When one of them became upset, whether because of some perceived slight or something else, rash, angry words were spoken. If it was Rinoa, he always forced himself into apologising to her. When he did, she seemed immediately to forget her anger, and become all smiles and he fell in love all over again with her radiance. If it was him, he held in his anger with icy glares until he couldn't contain it and it burst out of him. And she yelled back at him – always, she yelled back at him, until she managed to make a joke or find out the source of his anger and soothe him.

But this time, she hadn't. Perhaps, after everything that had happened, with her grief over Angelo and her anxiety over Quistis, she lacked the energy.

He was left alone, to brood.

* * *

Rinoa caught up with Cloud and Tifa just as they were about to enter the elevator. She touched Tifa's shoulder, and the woman spun around with surprising speed, her fists raised. Rinoa was startled, but Tifa relaxed as soon as she saw her, and she didn't let this put her off.

"Could I talk to you?" she asked.

Tifa looked surprised, but she said, "Sure."

"I mean, in private. Let's go to the first floor."

Tifa looked at Cloud, who shrugged. "All right," she said. "Cloud, I'll meet you later, okay?"

He nodded. They entered the elevator, and when it stopped on the first floor, Tifa and Rinoa got out, leaving Cloud and the others to descend behind them. Rinoa led the way down the empty corridor and through the hallway. They passed a student idly strumming a guitar; he didn't look up as they approached, but instead started playing a slow, sad melody.

"Where are we going?"

"I'll show you. Come on to the balcony." She pushed open a door and the two women left the hallway and the music behind. The balcony was still and quiet. Rinoa leaned against the railing, looking into the evening sky. The first stars had appeared above the horizon. A strong scent of flowers filled the air.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She and Squall had shared their first kiss here. It was one of her most cherished memories. Tifa came and stood beside her, following her gaze in silence. A light wind ruffled their hair, but both women remained quiet, thoughtful.

Curious as she was about these people from another world, Rinoa could have talked to any of them. But she had chosen Tifa in particular, with a feeling that they had something in common. Squall would have killed, would have died, protecting her. And here stood the woman for whom Cloud would have done the same. Her expression was tinged with sadness, Rinoa thought, as she studied Tifa. And it was not hard to guess why.

"Do you miss your home?" Rinoa asked.

Tifa looked at her. "Yes, I do. There are children who depend on me."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, her eyes widening. She hadn't expected Tifa to have children – but, she supposed, Tifa could easily be a young mother, with a baby or a toddler to look after at home. And did that mean Cloud was the father? She suddenly had a bizarre image of the blond mercenary sitting on a paisley carpet, changing a bawling baby's nappy. "I didn't know you and Cloud had children," she said.

"Oh, no, they're not ours," said Tifa, shaking her head with a sad smile. "They're orphans."

"I see," she said, thinking of Edea. "Does your world have a lot of orphans too?"

"In the city where we live, yes. I hope they're doing all right without me…"

"You'll be going back there soon," said Rinoa reassuringly. "Squall said he'd take you back to your own world."

"I'm sure he'll be glad to get rid of us."

She smiled. "Yes, I think he will. But what about Cloud?"

"Don't worry. He trusts you."

"Why?"

"Because he's Cloud."

"I thought he'd be more like…" She let the sentence trail off. She had been about to say, _more like Squall_ but then she realised what that meant. This image of Cloud she had – the cold mercenary, the merciless killer, suspicious of all but his most loyal allies – was beginning to sound uncomfortably like Squall and she didn't like the conflicting feelings it brought up inside her. _But Squall's more than that_, she argued with herself. _He's loving and protective and secretly insecure… He's as human as anyone._

Tifa started describing her life at home with Cloud. She ran a bar, he made deliveries and they both looked after two children. The picture she painted was so different to Rinoa's first impression of Cloud that she found it difficult imagining him living like that. She watched Tifa's face as she talked; noticed how her entire face softened and her eyes brightened whenever she mentioned Cloud. It was obvious; the woman was smitten.

"Are you married?" she asked.

Tifa blushed. "No."

She didn't offer any more detail. Rinoa guessed she didn't want to talk about it. She twisted the ring on her finger. "Squall and I are engaged to be married."

"I wish you well." Tifa swallowed. "Rinoa… I'm sorry. I know what Cloud and Yuffie tried to do. It was a bad situation…"

"It's okay," said Rinoa softly. "He wanted to save you. Squall would have done the same."

Her stomach lurched as she spoke. She noticed that Tifa's expression mirrored her own. They both felt the same about this. She loved the idea of a knight in shining armour but she had never considered that he might be prepared to kill other maidens in order to rescue her. Tifa was older than her; she looked stronger, more capable. Rinoa decided to ask her advice.

"I find it hard to accept that," she admitted. "Squall can be so… difficult sometimes. I love him so much; I don't want to doubt him. But as long as I'm with him, I know I'll be surrounded by death and killing. And I'm scared that one day it'll happen to us – and one of us will be left all alone. Do you ever feel like that? How do you deal with it?"

Tifa sighed. "We live in a dangerous world. And even in times of peace, we can never undo the past. Our mistakes always haunt us – the loved ones we lost, people whose lives we could have saved or spared, things we could have done better… But you have to move past that, learn from it. And you have to help each other." She looked down at her interlocking fingers. "I know Cloud will be beating himself up right now. He's not as strong as he looks. He needs my support, or he'll fall apart. If Yuffie hadn't been there to help him while I was imprisoned… I don't know what would have happened. But I know that together, we can get through anything."

Rinoa nodded. "Squall didn't used to like that. He told me that he didn't want to depend on anyone."

"Men are like that. They think they can do everything alone. They want to prove themselves."

She laughed. "Yeah – I know so many guys like that."

"But most of the time, they can't. When we journeyed around the world, Cloud needed us to be with him. And I needed my friends to be with me."

Rinoa nodded. _That's right_, she thought. _Squall needed all of us to make himself a better and stronger person. And this relationship is good for both of us; Squall gives me comfort and security and I'm someone he can open up to, be himself with and protect._ She couldn't bear the thought of him being taken away.

"Tell me more about your friends," she invited Tifa. "I'd love to hear about your world."

* * *

Despite the fact that Squall had ordered only Selphie to escort Yuffie and her friends back to their rooms, Irvine and Seifer tagged along too. Irvine, Selphie and Cloud walked together, talking – they had obviously got on during their mission together. Vincent swept ahead of them, ignoring them all, with Red at his heels. Seifer hung back with Yuffie.

"So you're going tomorrow?" he said.

"Yep."

He didn't reply to that; they walked in silence for a short time, until they reached the entrance to the dormitories. There Seifer touched her shoulder, leaned close to her and whispered, "Meet me at the quad later. Be there."

She turned in surprise, but Seifer was already walking away from her, back to his own dormitory. He gave her a quick grin before vanishing around the corner. Yuffie almost shouted after him, but then she remembered something she had wanted to do.

She rushed to catch up with the others, who had congregated in the corridor opposite their rooms. Well, this was more awkward than she had thought. Selphie's glare wasn't welcoming and Irvine had his arm around her too, whether to support her or restrain her, she wasn't sure. Either way, it didn't make her feel any better. Cloud, Vincent and Red went into their rooms, after receiving a cheery goodbye from Selphie which conspicuously missed her out.

"I should get back to class," said Irvine. He stretched and yawned lazily. "See you, Yuffie."

"See you," she said. He winked at her and she smiled back, relieved that he was being friendly at least.

Irvine strolled off; Selphie turned and made to go after him, but Yuffie clutched her arm. "Wait!"

Selphie snatched her arm away from Yuffie's grip. "What?"

"I – I'm sorry, Selphie. You know, for cutting off your ear and all."

Selphie folded her arms and stared at her. "Oh, really?"

"Really!" said Yuffie. "I'm really, really sorry – like, mega flare type sorry." She waved her arms vaguely. "Huge – big explosion – kaboom! That's my apology going nuclear right there."

Selphie's stony expression softened as she gave a little snort of laughter. Yuffie laughed too, and soon neither of them could help it; they laughed and laughed, gasping. She leaned against the wall, almost doubling over, and Selphie had her arms pressed around herself, trying and failing to hold it in.

Finally, Selphie looked up and said weakly, "I guess that was quite a big apology then."

They broke out into renewed giggles. The door opened and Cloud poked his head out.

"Yuffie, are you coming in or… what?" His sentence trailed off as he gawped at the pair of them. His dumbfounded expression only made Yuffie laugh more. She managed to nod and push him back inside, before catching Selphie's eye again and laughing.

"Apology accepted," said Selphie. Her expression became more serious. "And I think I should say sorry for the whole interrogation thing as well…"

"It's okay. I get why you did it. I would have done the same in your situation – well, I would have got Cloud or Vince to do it, but it's all the same." Yuffie shrugged.

"It's all in the past now. Forgiven and forgotten." Selphie made a sweeping movement with her arm as though to brush the past away. She did it easily, with a smile on her face, and Yuffie remembered Seifer's comment about how the GF made people forget things. Would Selphie forget that this whole incident ever happened? Would she forget Yuffie completely? "We can be friends now," Selphie added.

"Great," she said. "I make a better friend than enemy, I promise."

"I dunno, you made a pretty good enemy." They smiled. "Oh, and a word of advice between friends," Selphie went on. "Watch out for Seifer. He's the kinda guy who has to get what he wants."

"What do you mean?"

Selphie shrugged airily. "Oh, I think you know." Yuffie blushed and Selphie grinned at the look on her face. "Catch you later."

Yuffie watched her walk off, thinking. She was happy that she had made up with Selphie but there wasn't really time for them to be friends, was there? Not when they were leaving this world tomorrow. And Seifer – she had enjoyed his company even when they irritated each other, but whatever he wanted, she couldn't give it to him. They still barely knew each other. Should she go and meet him? She hadn't promised that she would. Yuffie bit her lip, leaning against the wall. No, she decided. She had formed the beginnings of relationships with the people of this world, but it had to stop there. Her real friends waited in the room behind her.


	23. Sharing Stories

**23**

**Sharing Stories **

"Cloud?"

He looked up at once, relieved. Tifa was back; she stepped through the doorway, smiling. But she wasn't alone. Rinoa appeared behind her, wearing a timid expression.

"Hi, guys." Rinoa rubbed one of her arms self-consciously, but Tifa nodded at her which seemed to give her the courage to speak again. "I was wondering if any of you would like to come to the quad?" she asked. "I know it's kinda late, but I'd like to get to know you before you leave."

Cloud scratched his head, feeling slightly uncomfortable. The last time Rinoa had approached him, she had slapped him. But Tifa looked at him pointedly and he knew he wouldn't be allowed to refuse.

"All right," he said.

Yuffie shook her head. She had embroiled Vincent in a card game and she was trying to concentrate on her cards with Vincent's impassive face opposite her. But Red XIII got up. "I'll come too."

* * *

Rinoa had been a little nervous at first about talking to Cloud, but sitting next to Tifa in the quad, he looked surprisingly unthreatening. His face was softer than she remembered; he seemed shy and awkward and he kept looking down. She found herself wanting to draw him out of his shell.

"Tifa's told me all about you," she began.

Cloud met her eyes. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I'm really, really sorry."

Taken aback, Rinoa bit her lip, unsure whether to laugh or take him seriously. "I know, it was a pain for Tifa too," she joked. "No, really, don't worry about it – you've already apologised. It's in the past."

He nodded. Rinoa smiled, but Cloud didn't answer her; he seemed not to know what to say. An uncomfortable silence followed. Red XIII began licking at his fur.

"Anyway," said Rinoa brightly, "I hear you two are quite the cute couple, huh?" She nudged Tifa, grinning. The pair of them blushed simultaneously, which Rinoa thought rather adorable. "Come on, rushing to rescue Tifa like that – it's so romantic!"

Tifa looked at Cloud, her lips curving. He shrugged. "What else could I do? I made a promise."

"A promise?"

"To be my hero," said Tifa, leaning against him. "To rescue me whenever I'm in trouble."

"That's just like Squall," said Rinoa. "He's my knight." _At least, I hope he still is_, she thought. Knights weren't supposed to be so sulky and jealous – she knew Squall was angry, but she couldn't face him – not yet. She wasn't sure she wanted to.

"Is that an official title?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah – all Sorceresses have knights. Well, they're supposed to."

"Kelling told us you were a Sorceress and that's why he wanted you killed. So it's true?"

"Yes," Rinoa replied. In a weird way, it felt good to say it, to be open about who she was when normally she had to conceal it.

"I hope you don't mind me asking," said Tifa, "but what _is_ a Sorceress? What makes people so afraid of them?"

Rinoa paused a moment while she thought how best to answer. How could she explain the long history of Sorceresses, how they had cultivated hatred and fear for generations?

"Sorceresses have certain… powers that other people don't have. But a lot of Sorceresses have used their powers for, um, evil. It's – it's a constant battle, trying not to let your powers tempt you into doing stuff you shouldn't."

It was depressing just to admit that. What had happened to the carefree teenage girl she used to be? It felt like another life from long ago, a life without sorcery, without fighting, without mortal danger. She wanted to preserve that connection to normality; to keep up her spirits, but it was difficult, when talking about serious stuff like this. Especially when the memory of Squall's anger kept hovering in her mind. He was supposed to be her anchor, but recently it felt as though they had strayed into turbulent waters and the anchor was breaking away.

"Tempt you?" Tifa asked.

"Into going bad." Rinoa managed to laugh at the look on Tifa's face. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna go bad. As long as I've got my friends to help me, I know I'll be okay."

"You remind me of someone," said Red. "A girl I once knew…"

"A human girl?"

"They called her race the Cetra, but yes, she was human. But she was more than an ordinary human…"

Cloud and Tifa had both gone quiet. Rinoa looked at Red. "You mean she was like me?"

"Perhaps," the creature replied enigmatically.

"I thought there weren't any Sorceresses in your world," she said, confused.

"There aren't," Tifa replied. "I don't know what Red's talking about."

Red made a fluid motion with his shoulders that she assumed was a shrug. Neither Cloud nor Tifa looked as though they wanted to pursue the subject further either, so Rinoa thought it would be rude to ask. She decided to ask about something else.

"So, Red, how did you meet Cloud and Tifa?"

Red flicked his ears and sat up. "They rescued me."

"He got captured by the Shinra," Tifa explained. "We were, uh, in the building at the right time to find him."

"I've never seen anything like you in our world," said Rinoa.

"Are there no other non-human races?"

"Yeah, but they usually keep to themselves."

"Are there any here?" Tifa asked.

Before Rinoa could answer, Red shook his head. "I smell only humans in this place. Though there is a trace… An old trace, however."

Rinoa was fascinated. It was hard to tell whether Red was asking a question or trying to imply something; his voice was expressive, but his face was not; she didn't know how to read non-human expressions. He certainly was a peculiar creature – she couldn't help but think of her poor dog, Angelo, who also had a good sense of smell. But Angelo couldn't talk back to her; much as she had loved him, he was only a pet, not a person. "What about you?" she asked. "Don't you prefer the company of your own kind?"

"I would, if there were any of my kind left."

She felt her cheeks heat up. "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"

Red shook his mane, the clip and feathers jangling slightly. "Don't apologise. You didn't know." He stretched out, like a cat, and yawned. "I think I shall go and get some air, if you don't mind. I find this building a little stifling."

"Okay," said Rinoa, a little surprised at this sudden statement. "Can you find your way back to your room?"

"Yes, if I want to."

As Red padded away, Tifa called after him, "Don't sleep on the roof! You know what happened last time!"

Red ignored this; his lithe form was soon lost as he turned a corner to ascend the steps of the quad.

"What did happen last time?" Rinoa asked, intrigued.

Tifa smiled. "Let's just say the window cleaner got the shock of his life."

* * *

Nanaki was suspicious. None of the others had noticed, but he had seen someone looking down at them from here, half-hidden by the vegetation. The figure had moved away with long-legged strides; he had glimpsed the edge of a white coat before it disappeared around the corner.

He bounded up the steps and at the top he saw that white coat in front of him again. Nanaki tended to identify and assess humans in two ways: firstly, their smell, and secondly, the way they moved. He therefore didn't need to wait for the man in the white coat to turn around in order to recognise him. Long fluid strides plus sweeping coat plus dominant scent equalled Seifer.

"So you're Red XIII?" If Seifer was embarrassed that he had been caught spying, he hid it well. "Does that mean there are twelve more of you?"

"Why didn't you join us?" Nanaki asked, choosing to ignore the question.

Seifer shrugged. "Didn't want to."

_But he came here alone_, Nanaki thought. _It must have been for a reason_. They stared at each other for a moment. Nanaki looked down first. His neck muscles were starting to ache from looking up at the tall human. He loped up the next set of stairs, past Seifer.

"Wait," said Seifer.

Nanaki paused before the top step. He and Seifer were on the same eye level now; a rare occurrence. He noticed the scar across Seifer's face; the kind of scar that did not detract from its wearer's appearance. Instead, it was more like a decoration; it gave an air of prowess, an excuse to show off. Nanaki's scars were not like that. His bad eye often itched; it was an old wound, but one gained in a real battle.

_So young_, Nanaki thought. _Children playing at war_.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Do you know where Yuffie is?"

_Ah_, thought Nanaki, suppressing a grin. He knew that Seifer was attracted to Yuffie, which explained this behaviour. _Though there is no explanation for why he is attracted to her in the first place_.

"She's in our room," Nanaki answered.

"Why didn't she come out to the quad like the rest of 'em?"

"I suppose she didn't want to." Nanaki spoke mildly and Seifer's face was a mask, but if only he knew the range of emotions Nanaki could detect simply through smell. Since Nanaki was never any good at reading human expressions, he had long since learned to understand humans in other ways. Seifer radiated frustration.

Nanaki cocked his head on one side. "What is it that you want?" he asked. This was a very different question to his initial one.

"I'm still thinking 'bout that."

"Make sure you search in the right places."

Seifer nodded. He reached out a hand, apparently unconsciously, and almost patted Nanaki's head, but his fingers shied away at the last second. Nanaki watched him hesitate, before he looked away and strode off again.

_He didn't ask where to look._ _Perhaps he thinks he knows._ Nanaki sighed inwardly. Only the foolish failed to ask for guidance where it would be freely given. He had learned that after he had spent most of his lifetime ignorant of his own father's bravery – labouring under a delusion that could easily have been lifted had he only swallowed his pride and asked about it.

Nanaki had observed Seifer quietly for only a short time, but he already had a strong impression of him. If Seifer had been a wolf, he would have been one of the young, aggressive males, reckless and eager in his fight for supremacy, but at the same time lacking a sense of purpose. _I hope he doesn't think Yuffie's the answer_, he thought. _She's too fickle for him._

* * *

The room was simply furnished, light and airy. It didn't feel like home. It felt like a hotel room. Tifa changed into the nightdress Selphie had lent her. It wasn't Selphie's – Selphie was shorter than she was. Instead, she had borrowed clothes from another SeeD, Quistis, who was closer to Tifa's size. Not quite close enough though; she tugged fruitlessly at the too-tight neckline before finally giving up.

The name Quistis sounded vaguely familiar, yet she couldn't quite place it. It wasn't until she walked out of their tiny bedroom and saw Cloud sitting in the main room, still fully dressed, that she remembered. Quistis had been one of the SeeDs who had defended Rinoa and Cloud had almost killed her because she was in his way.

Perhaps something of her thoughts showed in her expression because Cloud gave her a mournful look and said, "Do you hate me for what I did?"

_Oh, Cloud_. No wonder he had seemed so preoccupied in the quad. She pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. "No," she said. "No, of course I don't."

"I almost killed her, Tifa. I did it of my own free will this time – I was clear headed, not messed up…" He looked away, sighing.

"You didn't have a choice. Kelling forced you. It's him that's to blame, not you."

Cloud was silent. Tifa shuffled towards him and took his hand. "Look at me," she said.

Reluctantly, he lifted his head and they gazed into each others' eyes. He had such beautiful bright blue eyes, she thought. The rational part of her mind told her that this was only because of the Mako injections Cloud had suffered – the brightness was unnatural, like the way a puddle of water mixed with petrol reflected the colours of the rainbow. But they were beautiful nonetheless, and she could see the child Cloud gazing back at her through those eyes, seeking reassurance as if from a parent.

If she could heal him with words, mend him with her love, then there was only one thing she could say: "I forgive you."

"You mean it?" Cloud asked.

"I mean it." And she did, she had no doubt at all about that.

His face broke into a smile – a genuine, happy smile. "Thanks, Tifa," he said. "I think – I think I needed to hear that. When we go home, we'll put this whole business behind us, okay?"

He put a lot of things behind him. Some things took him longer than others, but in the end he always did it, always moved on. It was one of the things Tifa loved about him. She nodded, smiling back at him. "Okay!"

* * *

Cloud and Tifa were in the next room, Vincent had retired and Red XIII was nowhere to be seen. Yuffie yawned. There was no point her staying up any longer really; she was tired and the half guilty feelings melting in her stomach chased themselves in circles. She had made up with Selphie but neglected to seek her out. She had been part of the plot to kill Rinoa but hadn't bothered to go to the quad and talk to her either. And the reason for that – the reason she had chosen to spend the rest of the evening stuck inside with po-faced Vincent, who never showed a flicker of emotion even as her cheating grew more and more blatant – was that Seifer had asked her to meet him there.

And she didn't want to or maybe she did – maybe she was curious, but she was also stubborn and anyway he had never given her the chance to reply so it was his fault really that she hadn't turned up. _Going round in circles again_, she thought. Rubbing her eyes, she got up, leaving the deck of cards spread out across the table.

There was a knock at the door.

Yuffie jumped despite herself. What kind of idiot would disturb them at this late hour? Huffing, she went over and opened it, to be greeted by a familiar face.

"Seifer!" she hissed. "What the hell do you want?"

"I told you to be at the quad," said Seifer. "Where the hell were you?" The dim light of the corridor shadowed his pale face, darkening the hollows of his cheekbones and the angles of his jaw.

She glanced back into the room, hoping that Vincent hadn't heard anything. Seifer stood back as she slipped outside and shut the door. Even if Vincent was awake, she hoped he would take the hint and not disturb them. She glared at Seifer.

"Do you think I'd take orders from you? I never said I'd go, did I?"

He stared back at her just as fiercely. "I thought you…"

"What?"

"I had something important to tell you."

Oh, she wished he wouldn't do that! She thought she knew him, but then he had to say something enigmatic again. He was looking at her in that dark, dangerous way – something she had seen only a hint of before. And damn it if she didn't want to know.

"What?"

"I want to go with you," said Seifer. "To see the portal, I mean."

She blinked. "Well, why are you asking me? Squall's your boss, isn't he?"

He gritted his teeth. "Technically, but I've always seen us as equals. He won't stop me."

"You know, you never did answer my question from our little outing together. Why are you even here if you hate him and Garden so much?"

"I don't _hate_ him."

"Dislike a lot, then. C'mon, tell me. Why are you here?"

He looked down. "I … had nowhere else to go."

Yuffie stared at him. Admitting that was hard for him, she could tell. "Really? Nowhere at all? Don't you have a home, a family somewhere?"

She remembered a second after she had said it that all Garden students were orphans and inwardly cursed her own tactlessness. But even so, she didn't expect such a strong reaction. Seifer looked back up at her, his expression livid; she had never seen him so serious, so angry.

He snarled an inch away from her face, "I don't know!"

Yuffie decided it was best to drop it. But Seifer grabbed her shoulders and pulled her roughly back towards him.

"Hey!" She shrugged him off, her hands balling into fists.

He stared at her. "Why am I here? You tell me."

Now he was really pissing her off.

"I'm not a goddamn psychologist, Seifer." She didn't like this intensity; she preferred his air of nonchalance, his careless gibes and easy-going attitude. But maybe he wasn't like that at all; maybe that was all part of his mask and suddenly it had slipped and the man underneath was like fire – wild and passionate and dangerous.

He laughed – not a friendly laugh, but a dark mocking laugh. "No, you're not," he said. "I've seen a shrink before and you know what she said to me? She said I have _issues_. Guilt complexes, self-esteem problems; all that shit. And to solve it, I was supposed to make it up with all the people in my life – try and get things back to normal, pick an achievable goal, work towards it…"

"You got a point?" Yuffie sneered. "I'm not here to solve your problems for you. 'Cause from where I'm standing, looks like you still got issues."

That laugh again. "Yeah. That shrink wasn't worth the gil she asked for. I thought I was getting back on track, but – I dunno. Guess I'm too fucked up."

"So go see her again. Don't come whining to me." If there was one thing Yuffie hated, it was people moaning to her about their problems. If she chose to offer her sympathy and support a friend in trouble, then that was all well and good, but she couldn't stand it when they came snivelling to her unasked for.

Seifer's eyes bored into her, hard and cold, the colour of flint. "Fine," he said. "I see how it is. Just you wait, Yuffie – I'll find a way."

She didn't know what he meant. "Huh?" she asked; eloquence not being her strong point when she was so confused. But Seifer was already walking away from her.

* * *

Most people would have said that the office was silent. But after over an hour of silence, Squall found that noises he wouldn't even have registered before sounded loud and noticeable. The regular ticking of the clock. The low humming of the computer. The whirring of the fan. Every creak and rustle he made when he shifted in his chair.

He knew that he shouldn't, but he had junctioned a GF again – his favourite, Quezacotl. It wasn't the most powerful, but it had been a constant presence at his side, one of the oldest of his GFs, and the place it made for itself in his mind was well-worn and familiar. It was dormant now, since there was no danger, but somehow it made him feel less alone.

_Sad_, he thought. If he was alone now, it was because he had chosen to hide away in his office. Xu had visited, briefly, to report that all the arrangements were in place; Odine was due to arrive at sunrise and everyone needed to be ready by then. Seifer had called to request that he join the mission.

"_Why do you want to come?"_

_Seifer shrugged. "Still gunning for that promotion, I guess."_

_He felt a flicker of guilt but anger quickly submerged it. Seifer was holding something back, he was sure of it. Squall narrowed his eyes._

_"Really? Or has this something to do with Rinoa?"_

_Seifer raised his eyebrows. He sounded surprised. "Rinoa? No. I'm not interested in your little girlfriend, _Commander_." He began pacing up and down, his hand on the hilt of his gunblade, before looking back at Squall. "But I've always gotta have an ulterior motive, ain't that right, Commander?"_

_A knot in Squall's stomach loosened. He could tell that Seifer was being honest and he felt a mixture of relief and shame. _Maybe I've misjudged him_, he thought. _Seifer was always unpredictable.

_"Fine," he said. "I'll take you at your word. We're meeting at six thirty a.m. tomorrow in the foyer. Get through this mission and when it's over, I'll make you a SeeD." _Maybe this will make up for my lack of trust. He'd better not prove me right.

_Seifer looked even more surprised at that. He grinned. "Later!" _

Recalling their conversation, Squall grimaced. He had never trusted Seifer, but that wasn't really the issue. It was his trust in Rinoa which had been shaken. She had reassured him that there was nothing between her and Seifer and he believed her but she still hadn't told him about the materia. He kept thinking of looking for her, but every time he did, anger seemed to block him. She should come to him.

He stared again at the engagement ring on his finger. He wore two rings on this hand. The ring that he valued most – that he would always value most – was Griever, the silver lion. It was him, it had always been him and it was still his essence. The slim engagement ring looked like a cheap toy in comparison.

Rinoa – she was childish, she was flighty, stubborn, annoying, needy…

_I still love her though_.

Naïve, selfish, overly idealistic…

_Doesn't change how I feel about her_.

"Squa—all!" A singsong voice accompanied the knock at the door. His insides had tightened with that first syllable and swiftly unknotted and knotted themselves again when an instant later he recognised the voice. Not Rinoa.

"Come in," he called.

Selphie always reminded him of a chirpy sparrow. She bounced into the office, a beacon of colour and life, and he felt like a corpse compared to her brilliance. Giggling slightly, she saluted.

"At ease," he said. Selphie immediately relaxed and cocked her head on one side.

"Squall? Do you have any idea how late it is?"

"It's seven minutes past midnight." He had been checking the time compulsively.

"Then what are you still doing here? I looked for you everywhere – I asked Rinoa where you were…"

"Where is Rinoa?"

"I think she's gone to bed."

Squall sighed and leaned back on his chair. A few seconds passed in silence, and he wondered if it would be best to just creep into bed without waking his fiancée… His fiancée… God, he had thought that happy ever after would be so easy; he'd saved the world, he'd found his princess – but the stories Rinoa read never went beyond that; they all assumed that marital bliss would follow and he ought to have known that life wasn't like that; things never stayed the same – even when you found happiness, people changed, circumstances changed and suddenly that happiness was gone…

Selphie stared at him with piercing eyes. "Is something wrong between you and Rinoa?"

"Yeah," he admitted. He twisted the ring on his finger, suddenly hating it. "I don't know, maybe we decided to get married too soon…"

Selphie looked aghast. "Squall! Don't say that! You two are made for each other!"

"It's our destiny to be together, I suppose," he snapped.

"Yes, it is! You love her, don't you?"

Squall stood up and slammed his fists down on the desk. "Yes, I love her! I love her and it's making me miserable! When she's in danger, I'm scared. When we argue, I'm scared. When she's not around, I'm scared, in case something might have happened to her. And when she is around, I'm scared that I'll say or do the wrong thing!"

The words had exploded out of him without warning; he shut up abruptly and was immediately ashamed of his outburst. He hadn't meant to reveal so much. He hadn't realised how much he depended on her either. Rinoa almost being taken from him brought back that realisation with force. He couldn't help despising himself a little for thinking this; old insecurities had risen within him once again and that was why he had pushed her away. He pushed too many people away, all the time, and he had resolved not to do that anymore. But it wasn't easy to change a lifetime's habit.

For a moment, Selphie looked stunned. Then she leaned forward to look at him with a knowing smile.

"You know what this is?" she said. "This is the post honeymoon period blues. Remember way back when you used to smile all the time and _laugh_ – I thought, whoo hoo! Squall's laughing! He's _happy_! You and Rinoa made such a cute couple – I always knew you would!"

"Do you have a point?" Squall interrupted.

"Yup – my point is that that was the honeymoon period."

"They have a name for it?"

"Yes, they do, you big dope! It's like when you first fall in love and everything seems so super duper perfect! But then…"

"Reality sets in," said Squall grimly.

"Yeah. So you start noticing all the little annoying things about the other person and maybe you're stressed out at work and before you know it, everything suddenly looks a lot less rosy."

Well, that sounded accurate. He folded his arms. "So what's the solution?"

"You kick the stuffing out of Rinoa until she makes up with you."

"What?"

Selphie laughed. "I'm joking! Oh, Squall. There isn't a quick fix to this kind of thing, you know. If you wanna keep a relationship strong, you gotta work at it!"

"It used to be so much simpler when we were kids…" He remembered – or tried to remember; only a few fragments of his childhood remained in his head – how he had doted on Sis – Ellone. Everything seemed so black and white when you were a kid. You had friends and you had enemies, and that was that. But things changed.

"That was then and this is now," said Selphie firmly. "Do you wanna work it out with Rinoa or not?"

"Yes, of course I do."

"Well, then! Maybe you just need to talk to her, Squall. You gotta communicate. That's the most important thing!"

"We do communicate. We shout at each other."

Selphie rolled her eyes. "I said _talk_."

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I will."

* * *

Wedge, like the rest of the soldiers, was running on caffeine. They had worked in shifts throughout the night, except that there weren't enough of them to share the work and get a decent rest; he barely had two hour's sleep on the train before being shaken awake to unload the equipment. Kelling was there to meet them, his shirt rumpled and his shoes dirty; he paced about and looked at his watch before retiring some time after midnight.

Kyme watched them, twitchy-fingered and twitchy-eyed.

"Come on! Hurry!"

* * *

Something stirred beside her; a breath of warm air. Rinoa's eyes snapped open at once as though she had been waiting for such a sign.

"Squall?"

He froze as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. The room was still dark, but she could make out his figure. She switched on the lamp beside her. Squall was already halfway into his black jacket and his arm stuck out at an awkward angle; he glared at her through messy hair.

"You're up early," she said.

"Things to do," Squall mumbled. He straightened his jacket and turned around to find his gunblade.

"You're trying to avoid me, aren't you?"

"No…" But he still wasn't looking at her; she sensed awkwardness in every line of his body.

"Whatever it is, you're not gonna get away this time." And she made sure he didn't, by jumping out of bed and grabbing on to him. His jacket felt cool beneath her fingers, but there was a hint of hard muscle behind it – muscles that tightened under her grip as Squall pulled away. She didn't let go; she let the movement take her forward, right into his body. "Don't go without me," she whispered.

"You'll be safer-"

"No, Squall," she said fiercely. "I know where the safest place for me is always gonna be – with you. That's why we promised – in case we get separated, in case something comes between us – we can always find each other again."

He looked at her, frowning in that intense way of his. "I don't want to lose you," he said, in a small, tight voice.

She smiled. "I'm right here."

The gunblade lay on the floor behind Squall, forgotten. She turned her eyes away from it, pressing her face against Squall's chest as they embraced. When he spoke, his voice was muffled and she could feel the reverberations in his chest, but she made out the words.

"I love you."

Grinning, she looked up and pinched his nose. "I love you too. So tell me, hotshot, why do we have to get up so early?"

* * *

Dawn broke over the horizon. Squall should have been tired; he'd had less than four hours sleep, but an early dose of caffeine and the junctioning of two GFs had restored his energy levels, for the time being. He shielded his eyes and squinted against the thin sliver of sun, as the wind whipped up and a loud clattering announced the arrival of the helicopter. Its shadow blocked out the sunlight for a moment before it dipped down and light flashed off the rotating blades and the curved windscreen.

He couldn't see who was inside, but he recognised the insignia painted on the side and this visitor was expected anyway. Xu was standing further off, gesturing this way and that as she directed two students to show the helicopter where to land. Perhaps they should build a helipad on Balamb Garden itself, Squall mused. It was all very well for aircraft to land on the ground next to Garden, but they couldn't do that during the times Garden was at sea. Of course, that had only become a problem in the last year or so, since Garden became mobile.

The students waved their flags to guide the helicopter down, and it did so, hovering just above the ground for a moment, like a hesitant insect, before finally settling. The noise and the wind dropped; the shouts of the students could be heard again. Xu hurried over to greet the helicopter's occupants. Squall followed her, dismissing the breathless students with a flick of his hand.

Someone stepped down awkwardly from the helicopter's interior and Squall had to bite his lip to stifle a laugh. Odine looked ridiculous. He was wearing a large pair of goggles which dwarfed his face, making him look bug-eyed. Not only that, he had discarded his usual ruff for a number of long, trailing scarves, which hung off his short frame at odd angles. Underneath, his garish robes stood out against the solemn greys of the SeeD uniforms around him.

By the time Odine pushed his goggles up against his forehead and rubbed his eyes, Squall had composed his expression. He held out his hand to Odine.

"Welcome to Balamb Garden."

"Yes, hello, hello," said Odine, shaking his hand and then Xu's before looking around in a lacklustre sort of way.

"And welcome to Galbadia," Xu added, as Odine's gaze fell on the city visible behind them. "Would you like to come this way?"

They walked through the gate into Balamb Garden, the two SeeDs flanking Odine. The little man had to almost jog to keep up with their long strides.

"Do you have a room for me?" he panted.

"We can arrange one later if you'd like to stay the night," said Xu.

"So vere are ve going now?"

"To the foyer," Squall answered. "We'll meet the others, run through our plan of action, and then set off."

"Straight away?" Odine cried. "But I vas hoping to rest first – I have travelled through the night to get here so early – I have not slept in twenty hours straight!"

"Sorry," said Squall. "We need to set off as early as possible. Everyone's ready and waiting for you to arrive."

They ascended the steps into the main foyer, where a large group of people were indeed waiting for them. Part of Squall's mind mentally tallyed the numbers, noting who stood next to whom, while another part half-listened to Odine's complaining.

"But vat iz the rush?" Odine was saying. "I vant my machine back soon, yes, but I vould like to be awake ven I see it!"

Squall let Xu answer, his eyes still scanning the group ahead of them. He was glad to see that the group had not split into two halves; his SeeDs and the people from the other world had mingled, talking to each other and generally appearing at ease. Yuffie was laughing at a joke Selphie had made. Irvine and Vincent seemed to be comparing their guns. Tifa was saying something to Seifer. Rinoa was sitting down with her arms crossed over her legs, Red XIII laid down beside her rather like a guard dog. She looked up and smiled at Tifa, who then crouched down to talk to her. Next to her, Cloud shifted, his eyes drifting across the foyer until they alighted on Squall. His gaze flicked to Odine, then back to Squall again, and Squall nodded.

Fragments of conversation drifted towards them the closer they got.

"You'd have to be pretty fast at reloading…"

"…And then he said, "Actually, I'm allergic to pollen." He spent the rest of the night sneezing all over the place!"

Laughter; Squall shifted uncomfortably, recognising the subject of the conversation. "That sounds like something Cloud would do."

"Gawd, I don't think I'll ever look at eye patches in the same way again!"

Red XIII and Vincent had already noticed them; Red got to his feet and stretched, while Vincent regarded them silently. Cloud nudged Tifa.

"They're here," he said.

"Your attention, please!" said Xu, though there was no need for her to say this really; everyone had turned to Squall, waiting for him to speak. The SeeDs all stood to attention, one arm placed smartly against their chest.

"At ease," said Squall. Here he was again, in a leadership position, and somehow this reminded him of his earlier missions as a SeeD, being in charge of his small group of elite fighters. This group was larger than usual, but every one of them was a specialist fighter, both SeeD and guest. And they were all awaiting his command, including Cloud. Even Seifer didn't have any smart comments to make; he looked focused, his face set. The power Squall had didn't fill him with any kind of joy; he felt only a vague anxiety, as he always did when he knew they were heading into danger and it would be his fault if he screwed up or made the wrong decision. Powers bigger than he had forced him into this situation. So it always was; even the most powerful man in the world was bound by the fates. All he could do was focus on the task at hand.

"Let's go over the plan," he began. "We'll split into three groups and each group will travel in a different vehicle. Irvine, you're in charge of Group A. You'll be travelling with Vincent and Red. You're to go on ahead and Vincent and Red will lead you to the secret entrance to the laboratory. Once you get in, neutralise any enemies you encounter and head for the front entrance to open the door for us. Cloud, you're in charge of Group B. You'll be travelling with Tifa, Yuffie and Seifer."

"Huh, how come he gets the girls?" Irvine joked. Selphie rolled her eyes, though Seifer's expression didn't change. Squall ignored the interruption.

"You'll follow on after Irvine's group," he continued, "but head for the front entrance and watch it carefully. Wait for Group A to emerge and assist them if necessary. If they don't come out, break in yourself. Make sure that everything's safe before reporting to Group C. I'm in charge of Group C. Rinoa, Selphie, Doctor Odine – you're with me. Our job is to protect Doctor Odine and see that he never comes into any danger."

"Quite right," said Odine, perking up for the first time.

"We'll be waiting for you as close to the laboratory as we think we can get." Squall looked around. "Is that clear?"

A chorus of 'Yes, sir!'s and nods followed.

"Then let's go," said Squall. It was time to take the strangers home.


	24. Setbacks

**24 **

**Setbacks**

The railway station was full of early morning commuters. Irvine parked the car as close as he could get, but they all knew they would have to walk through the crowds. Nanaki was curled up on the back seat, keeping as low as possible, but he didn't need to see the station to know the crowds were there. The noise and the stench were enough.

He heard the clicks as the car doors opened and both Irvine and Vincent got out. Irvine moved to the passenger side and looked at Nanaki with a slightly flummoxed expression.

"Did you guys walk through here before?" he asked. "In broad daylight?"

"Yes," Vincent replied.

"And it was okay? No one panicked?"

"…Not exactly."

Nanaki peeked over the top of the seat before ducking back down again as several would-be passengers hurried past. "If we act normal and move at a brisk pace, you'd be surprised how many people don't notice anything. Humans are an unobservant race."

"Right," said Irvine. "Okay, Vincent, can you lead the way? Red, maybe if you stick to my heels, people will think you're a very exotic… uh, dog."

He had been called worse things. Nanaki nodded and grinned, revealing a glimpse of his fangs. Irvine, to his credit, grinned back, and opened the passenger door for Nanaki, who leapt out. Vincent walked ahead of them; Nanaki stuck beside Irvine's ankles, trying to look as tame as possible, and so they made their way into the station.

Nanaki's prediction turned out to be right; most of the early morning commuters were too preoccupied to take much notice of them. Those that did turned their heads in surprise, before they were lost in the crowds again. As they passed the busiest platform, where a train had just pulled up, a guard started towards them.

"Hey! What's that animal you've got there?"

Irvine waved his hand, not bothering to stop. "I'm on SeeD business! New breed; they make great guard dogs!"

And once again the crowd swallowed them up. _Anonymity in a swathe of humanity_, Nanaki thought. Finally, Vincent slipped between two pillars towards the deserted platform. No one was here; they were all on the opposite side, getting on the train that had just pulled up. A solitary bench stood on the grey platform; it had graffiti scrawled into it. At the end of the platform was a staircase which led down into a tunnel.

"This is it," Nanaki muttered.

Vincent had already swept into the tunnel, his crimson cloak fluttering behind him. Irvine looked around, checking that the train opposite obscured the view from the other platform. They hurried down the staircase and into the dark.

* * *

Cloud pulled the car up outside a warehouse on Silver Street. Somewhere up the road was the entrance to the laboratory, but he didn't want them to reveal themselves by parking right outside it. That would be stupid. He turned off the engine and slumped back in his seat.

In the passenger seat next to him, Tifa peered through the darkened windscreen.

"They should come out up there," said Cloud.

"Can we get out?" Yuffie whined from the back. She and Seifer had been relegated to the backseat. For some reason, they had refused to talk to each other, and she quickly grew fidgety.

"No," said Cloud. "We wait inside the car until we see Vincent, Red and Irvine."

"Aw, man."

"Standby," said Seifer. "I love this stuff."

"We've got to be patient," said Tifa. Her voice was long-suffering; she was used to the impatience of her comrades. He remembered how annoyed she had been with Barret while they ascended the seemingly eternal staircase of the Shinra building. "Besides, at least we have good company."

Yuffie snorted.

* * *

Rinoa hadn't expected it, but she felt a surge of excitement to be back on a mission again. As she wasn't a SeeD, she hadn't taken part in any military action since they had defeated Ultimecia. Her GFs felt like old friends returning to their familiar haunts in her mind: Carbuncle, small and sparkling, its ruby light shielding her from magical attack; Alexander, the holy, guiding her body, reminding her how to fight; and Eden, the eternal, the most powerful GF of them all. Eden was so powerful that the others found it difficult to handle, but she contained its blazing presence with the help of her amplified Sorceress magic.

Eden's whispers assured her that she would be quite safe; she had the power to level the whole city if she wanted, if only she chose to unleash her potential… Rinoa swallowed, looking at Squall in the driver's seat. Did he get that giddy rush too? Did his GFs talk to him? She had to repress Eden's voice, for it was far too tempting and it shouldn't be; the very thought of so much destructive power should horrify her. Did horrify her.

"Are you all right?" Squall asked, without taking his eyes off the road.

"I'm fine," she said.

"You're not scared?"

"No." And it was true; she wasn't scared; she could level a whole city.

Her eyes met Selphie's through the rear view mirror. Selphie grinned.

"Good on you, girl!"

"Why should she be afraid?" Odine asked nervously. "Surely zere should not be any risk-"

"You'll be fine with us," Selphie reassured him. "We're ready for anything."

"Ready to wait," said Squall, pressing on the brakes. The car came to a stop.

Squall had seemingly endless patience and Selphie was professional enough not to complain either; she chatted to Doctor Odine, asking him about Laguna and how things were going in Esthar since she had left. It made Rinoa feel out of sync again; her tense excitement drained away. She lacked the discipline of a SeeD; she had forgotten how ill fitting that role really was. _I'm like a little girl playing at soldiers. Only it's not a game; it's never been a game because the danger is real._

_You're the danger_, Eden crooned.

Yes, that was the difference. She had made the decision to stand up for herself and that meant she had to be the dangerous one, the one maiming and killing people.

"Squall?"

He looked at her.

"What if Kelling's gone through the portal himself?"

"Then we follow him."

"Then what?"

"That depends on who reaches him first."

They would kill him, she thought. Any of them – Squall, Cloud, Yuffie, Tifa, because of the pain he'd put them through. _It was me he tried to assassinate_, Rinoa thought. _Should I want him dead too?_ It would be easy; she had learned that in her eighteen years of life on this world. The difference between life and death was very small: a quick blast of magic, a gunshot to the head, a sword between the ribs. She had lived with that fear in the back of her mind every day – not just for herself, but for her friends, the SeeDs completing mission after mission. Some of them never came back.

She licked her lips and stared out of the window unseeing. Did Squall ever think about this? Did any of the SeeDs? Or perhaps they were all so conditioned that killing came naturally to them; they didn't even have to think about it; the tempo of battle ran in their veins. _What a horrible world we live in_, she thought suddenly. And Cloud and Tifa's world sounded exactly the same: full of monsters, its people recovering from disease, the land recovering from the great catastrophe called Meteorfall.

_But they're rebuilding_, she thought. _They're going to make things better. That's what I wanted, a year ago, when I hired SeeD to help the Forest Owls. I wanted to make the world a better place. And I will._

* * *

Finally, the machine was reassembled. Holt hurriedly leafed through the plans, checking that the machine matched the blueprints and that everything was in its right place. As always seemed to happen when rebuilding something, there were a few parts left over that nobody knew what to do with. A couple of bolts lay abandoned at the bottom of a crate and there was a black cable which didn't attach to anything. But Holt examined the interior of the machine, where the glowing green orb was nestled, like a spider at the centre of its web, and nodded to Kyme.

The scientist booted up the computer and ran system checks while the soldiers watched idly, too exhausted to do anything else. Someone should be standing guard outside the door, Biggs thought, but the scientists were too preoccupied with their work to give out orders and he wasn't about to volunteer.

One by one, the screens at the terminal lit up, as Kyme's fingers moved feverishly over the keyboard. The computer whirred and beeped. Biggs had no idea how any of this worked, but the whirring noises sounded promising.

"Yes!" said Kyme.

The high whining noise that marked the functioning of the portal cut through the air. The soldiers cheered.

"It's working," said Wedge, staring at the arch in awe.

"It got moved before," said Biggs. "They know what they're doing."

Holt pointed to one of the guards. "Get the boss, Hawkson. Tell him we're ready."

Biggs watched Hawkson hurry off philosophically. "Poor bugger. I wouldn't like to be the one who has to wake up the boss."

"He has good news, sir," Wedge pointed out. "I should think he'd be happy."

"Hmm." Biggs looked back at the tangle of machinery, the arch hastily rigged up on a metal platform. They had hooked the terminals up inside the power room, taking energy from the generators which had once served the base. Red light suffused the entire room, bloodstaining the terminals and making the scientists' coats flash crimson. "What are they doing?"

"It looks like they're about to bring someone through, sir," said Wedge.

Indeed, Holt and Kyme continued to monitor the terminal and press buttons – setting the co-ordinates, Biggs supposed. On one of the screens a white smudge had appeared. It was emitting a signal, which showed up as a wave on the screen, rather like radar. The screen zoomed in on the smudge, revealing it to be a white dot.

"That's him," said Biggs.

"Do you know how it works, sir?" Wedge asked.

"Radio signal, I expect," said Biggs. "They search for the right frequency and pinpoint the location."

Wedge frowned and shook his head. "How could it get across…?"

"Radio waves," said Biggs impatiently. "They can travel across countries."

The high keening of the portal increased, forcing him to raise his voice. Wedge fell silent, though his expression was troubled. Perhaps it was the energy in the room; Biggs felt an uncomfortable stirring at the roots of his hair. It was as though electricity was crackling in the air. A second later, the pitch increased beyond his hearing, the arch shimmered and a figure stumbled out of it. The figure coughed, before straightening up and saying, "Hello there, Kyme. Give me a shot, will you – I still can't stand this travelling."

Kyme stepped forward to administer a shot to the man. _He's gone all the way from Esthar to here in an instant_, thought Biggs. _I'd be jetlagged too_. The man took off his hat, breathing shakily but no longer coughing. With a surge of dislike, Biggs recognised him. He called himself Piet, but that probably wasn't his real name; he was an undercover agent for Kelling, ruthless and cold.

"So, chaps," said Piet, rubbing his hands, "are we all here? Goodness me, there aren't many of you, are there?"

"General Caraway refuses to provide our department with any more men," said Holt. "I think he's on to us."

"And that's why we had to relocate," said Piet. "Dirty business – and there's trouble on the other side too, I'm afraid. Where's Kelling?"

"Here," said Kelling's voice. Biggs turned with the rest of the soldiers to see Kelling enter the room. Hawkson was behind him, carrying a large case.

"Good morning, sir," said Piet, bowing. "I have news from the other side."

Kelling strode up to them, taking his place on the platform next to Piet. Biggs hung back with Wedge, not keen on going anywhere nearer the portal than he had to.

"Well, man?" Kelling said. "What's your news? Did you contact Shinra?"

"Indirectly," Piet replied. "I managed to arrange a meeting, but there were, ah, complications."

"Such as?"

"My hideout was discovered by someone who shouldn't have found out about it… the adopted son of Cloud and Tifa. I was unable to catch him, but I'm sure he will have gone back home and told his new foster father by now."

"A foolish mistake," Kelling growled.

"It was rather unfortunate," Piet agreed.

"A mistake that will have to be rectified as soon as we make a deal with Shinra. Do you think it'll be safe?"

"Safe enough with company and Shinra's protection. The boy, Denzel, might be a slight problem… Some of his friends are contacts of Rufus Shinra; we must hope that we get to Shinra before they do, or that Shinra prefers to side with us."

"He will," said Kelling. "He's a politician and so am I. We can do business."

"I'm sure you're right, sir," said Piet.

Biggs frowned. He had never heard of Rufus Shinra before. Was Shinra part of Plan B?

Kelling turned to the rest of the soldiers. "Listen now, all of you. Galbadia is in great danger. She is under threat from the nation of Esthar, from her own rebellious Empire, and from the powers of the Sorceress. General Caraway will not act, so it is up to us. But we need assistance – help from the other side."

"From the Estharians?" someone said.

"No, not from Esthar. We are going to ask for help from Rufus Shinra and he is not an Estharian. I intend to go through the portal myself and talk to him and I want three of you to accompany me and Piet, as bodyguards."

Biggs took a step back. He looked at Wedge worriedly; he didn't at all fancy going on a jaunt through that portal; the last time he had been in Esthar, he hadn't liked it one bit. Wedge was muttering to himself, "Shinra, Rufus Shinra… where have I heard that name before?"

"You've heard of him?" Biggs whispered.

Wedge shook his head. "I don't know, sir."

"Those of you who stay behind must guard the portal," said Kelling. "Now, which of you are the least dead on their feet? Take off your helmets; let me see."

He and Piet scanned the group. Biggs looked around uneasily. He had assumed that more soldiers would be waiting for them here with Kelling, but his hopes had proved unfounded. This little group was all that was left of Kelling's rebellion: two scientists, six soldiers, Piet and Kelling himself. And he and Wedge were in the thick of it; not a place he was sure he wanted to be.

They were all fatigued; the faces around him were dark with stubble, shadow-eyed and with their shoulders slumped. Wedge, unfortunately, had that youthful kind of face that never seemed to look tired; he was the perkiest of them all and Kelling quickly picked him out.

"You, Wedge. And you, Hawkson. And an officer…" In the tiny pause that followed, Biggs realised that he was the only officer present. _Shit_. "…Biggs."

_Off we go again_, he thought.

* * *

The tunnel was as dark and dismal as Nanaki remembered. Water dripped from somewhere. He padded between the sleepers; gravel crunched beneath his paws. Vincent's pointed boots trod lightly across the metal lines. Irvine's cowboy boots treaded slow and steady, reassuring like a constant heartbeat.

They reached the underground station at the other end. Nobody was waiting for them. They didn't speak; they communicated with looks and gestures. It was essential that they had the element of surprise if the laboratory was heavily guarded, because they would be outnumbered.

Nanaki led the way, sniffing the ground as he ascended a staircase and loped swiftly through a corridor. The place reeked strongly of humans, but again there was no one in the immediate vicinity. He remembered the right door; it too was unguarded. An uneasy feeling prickled his fur.

"Shall I go in first?"

"I'll come with you," said Vincent. He grasped the door handle and pushed. It opened silently. No one burst out to meet them. An eerie silence floated through. It felt as though the whole building was holding its breath, quiet, expectant. Nanaki stepped forward slowly, Vincent behind him.

He stared into the darkness of the laboratory, his one sharp eye piercing through the gloom. It was empty; only a few disused computer terminals remained. The portal had gone.

* * *

Biggs woke up in a shadowy alley with his head splitting. His first thought was that he had slept in the gutter and awoken with a terrible hangover. He threw up over the dirty concrete, confirming his theory. But then strong hands pulled him up and he found himself staring blearily into Piet's face and that blew his theory out of the water.

"You'll be all right," said Piet, handing him a tissue.

Biggs wiped his mouth and sagged against the wall. His arm hurt; he looked down and saw that his sleeve had been pulled up and there was a tiny red mark in the crook of his elbow. He'd been injected; undoubtedly, that was what had woken him up. So this was what it was like to travel through the portal. Opposite him, Wedge had also collapsed against the grimy wall, coughing weakly. Hawkson seemed to have fared better; he stood silently, a clammy-faced statue.

Piet had turned to tend to Kelling; he heaved the older man up and Kelling's eyes flicked around at them with a touch of their usual gleam.

"Can we all walk?" he rasped.

"We'll manage," said Piet, who looked the least sick of all. He glanced down both ends of the alley, which looked empty. "We should hurry."

They stumbled down the alley after Piet and Biggs felt more and more like a drunk who had come out at the wrong time of day. He emerged into the main street and blinked in the light. Not sunlight, for the day was cloudy, but a kind of warm white haze; the air was still and stifling and it didn't taste entirely clean. Biggs' fuzzy brain tried to process his surroundings. He had expected blue walkways, shining buildings and the indescribably eccentric architecture of Esthar. What he saw was a dull street, grim grey buildings and an atmosphere more like that of a shanty town than a great city. The occasional car or truck drove past, flinging dust into his face.

"…This doesn't look like Esthar."

Piet laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "Biggs, you're not in Galbadia or even Esthar anymore. This is Edge."

The soldiers looked around, sick and bewildered. Only Wedge, to Biggs' disquiet, didn't look surprised; instead, he had an expression of mounting wonder on his face.

"Let's go," Piet added. "We should go to an inn where we can rest."

Wedge pointed down the street to his right. "What about there, sir? Seventh Heaven…"

"No," said Piet, "we can't go there; that's where the boy will be. In fact, we should get away as quickly as possible."

He hurried them up the street, away from the establishment. Biggs looked back to see the sign hanging over it; yes, it did say Seventh Heaven, although he had to squint to read it. He didn't know whether it was his headache or something else, but he felt unnerved. And Edge? What did that mean? Had they really come to the edge of the world – the end of the world, perhaps? Biggs shivered.

Piet led them to a small, squalid-looking inn, where he paid the grumpy innkeeper in gil and showed them upstairs. Biggs had stayed in the Galbadia Hotel before and it was absolutely luxurious compared to this place. The room had the look of someone who had hastily moved in. A few cases were strewn around, still unpacked, and the walls were bare.

"This isn't where you live, is it?" Kelling asked, his face drawn partly from distaste and partly from the pain he must still have been experiencing.

"Not usually," said Piet. "I've left my apartment for the time being – I had to disappear as quickly as possible and this was the first place I could find."

"What about your namesake?"

"I disposed of him," replied Piet matter-of-factly. He looked at the clock on the bedside table; the only other thing beside it was a mangy lamp. "Sir, we've got an hour or so before we need to go. We can use that time to rest."

Kelling dropped down on the bed and kneaded his forehead. "Good," he said, looking up. "I think I could do with a drink."

* * *

Painfully conscious of the way that everyone was staring at him, Squall listened to Irvine's report in his ear. His frown became more pronounced every second.

"All right," he said at last. "Pull back. I want everyone back at Garden, without delay."

"Got it," said Irvine's voice.

Squall closed the line. He could tell that they were all bursting with questions, so he forestalled the inevitable by saying, "Irvine's group made it into the laboratory without any harm but it was empty. We're going back to regroup and think about our next move."

Faces pale with shock and consternation stared back at him. Squall started the car and moved off; the thrum of the engine seemed to revive them all. Rinoa, Selphie and Odine spoke all at once, a babble of voices in the air.

"But – what are we going to do now?"

"Did Cloud say anything? I bet he's bummed out."

"My portal iz missing? Zis iz a disgrace!"

"I'm sorry," said Squall, talking to Doctor Odine, although his eyes remained fixed on the traffic ahead. "We're not going to give up. Irvine thinks that the portal was moved, not destroyed, from what he saw in the lab. We'll figure out where it is."

_We'd better_, he thought. _I don't want to be the one who has to tell Cloud and Tifa that they may never see their family again…_

* * *

Two hours later, they were shown into Rufus Shinra's office. These two hours had passed in a sick blur for Biggs; he felt as though he had been hit on the head with revelation after revelation and he didn't know if he could cope. He was in another world, which contained trained hitmen who were every bit as ruthless as SeeDs, so Piet had assured them. And just before they encountered the Turks, Wedge had whispered to him, "Sir, there's something I need to tell you-" but he had caught his breath when Piet loomed next to him and since then they had not had a chance to talk.

Piet had taken the two Turks, Reno and Rude, back to his world for a few minutes. They had returned with headaches and nausea as well as an incredible disbelief about what they had seen. It had taken this journey and the word of his Turks to convince Rufus Shinra to see them.

Whatever had happened to topple Shinra from power, he was still rich. They had been taken to the top room of a tall building, with giant glass windows overlooking the city in front. Red velvet drapes hung from the windows. A tattered banner on the wall proclaimed Rufus' name. There were two exits on either side of the office, not including the stairs that they had just climbed.

And there was the man himself, Rufus Shinra: a man who had once ruled most of this world and now owned only some of it. Kelling approached him, with his motley crew of guards, including Biggs, behind him. Quite a contrast they made too: Rufus Shinra sitting behind his mahogany desk, perfectly groomed in his white suit, which set off his strawberry blond hair; and Kelling, looking unkempt in comparison, his normally smooth dark hair ruffled and his black suit dusty.

Nevertheless, Kelling exuded an air of confidence as he stepped up to Shinra and dark eyes met blue ones.

"It's an honour to meet you, Rufus Shinra," he said, bowing.

"So," said Rufus Shinra delicately, "I'm told that you have an offer for me."

"I do."

Biggs shifted his attention to the people behind Shinra. Reno and Rude had vanished to receive treatment, but Shinra was not without bodyguards. They stood on either side of him, dressed in navy suits. One was a black-haired man with cold eyes and the other a blonde woman. Their hands were clasped behind their backs and neither appeared to be armed, but Biggs wasn't fooled. He comforted himself with the thought that they outnumbered the Turks two to one, even if they were all still suffering from the after-effects of portal travel.

Kelling's ragged band looked dirty and out-of-place. Biggs, Wedge and Hawkson were all wearing civilian clothes at Kelling's request, and so was Piet, of course, but he liked to think that they were still capable. They had weapons, at least; he had been surprised that Shinra had allowed them into his headquarters armed. Either Shinra didn't think that they posed a threat or he felt secure enough under the Turks' protection. Neither option boosted his confidence.

Shinra steepled his fingers together and smiled a predatory smile. "Go on."

"I propose an alliance between our worlds," said Kelling. "Or, more specifically, a partnership."

"What kind of partnership?"

"One that pools our resources. Your world is still recovering from a great disaster; mine is rich in land and energy. I come from a land called Galbadia. There is a country in my world called Esthar, which rivals the Galbadian empire; but with the Galbadian army and your forces working together, we could conquer it. We could bring peace to both our worlds and build an empire together."

"That's quite a vision," said Shinra. "But first, I have a few questions."

Kelling smiled. "Of course. We have a lot to learn from each other."

Shinra frowned slightly, as though he hadn't expected Kelling to respond. "Yes," he said, "though you seem to be quite well-acquainted with this world. How long have you been here?"

"I myself came through only this morning, but the portal has been in use for three months."

"Three months… What were you doing in that time?"

"Research."

It was a vague answer – Biggs knew it and Shinra knew it, but Shinra's eyes only flicked down to a paper on his desk before going back to Kelling.

"Are you the source of the Mako disturbances in Edge?"

Kelling looked nonplussed for a second, but quickly recovered. "I don't know – perhaps – the portal may leave some residual effects in your world."

"And on people, too. I don't think Rude has ever taken a day off sick before now. Does the portal always make people ill?"

"For a short time, yes, but we're working on that. The more often you travel, the better you get acclimatised to it."

"Why did you come to my world in the first place?"

"Our purpose was originally scientific – we wanted to explore new horizons. We can learn from your technology, use it to advance our own – and you could do the same."

"And your new purpose?"

"To further the good of Galbadia," said Kelling carefully.

"What's in it for me? Why should I care about your country?"

"Two reasons. Firstly, your world needs a new energy source, doesn't it? I know that your company made huge profits providing electricity, but you have yet to find a clean efficient power source to replace Mako. My world is more advanced in this area. We can show you how we generate power."

Shinra's eyes gleamed and he leaned forward, clearly intrigued. Kelling went on:

"And secondly, you once ruled this world. This is the deal I want to make: you help me come to power and I'll help you do the same."

"Well," said Shinra, "you know who I am, you know what I can do, but I don't know you. So tell me, who are you to make such an offer?"

Kelling began to explain. He told Shinra about his position in the Galbadian government, Galbadian politics and the ineffectiveness of its leader. He explained the state of affairs in his world; the conflict between the two great nations of Galbadia and Esthar and the mercenary force of SeeD outside them. And finally he talked of the one great danger in his world: the Sorceress, and how it was rumoured that one day in the future the Sorceress would bring the entire world to ruin.

Biggs couldn't help noticing the way that his boss sometimes slanted things or added details that were outright lies, in order to make his position sound stronger than it really was. It was subtly done, the half-truths, the omissions – Kelling did not mention his failed plan to assassinate the Sorceress. Instead, he made it sound as though this was a plan for the future, once Kelling had already seized control of the Galbadian government. But Biggs expected nothing less; Kelling was a politician.

Wedge was fidgeting and Hawkson passed his hand over his forehead a couple of times, obviously still suffering from a headache. Biggs shot them a stern look. It wouldn't do for them to appear nervous. The Turks guarding Shinra had been silent and still all this time, but they were listening as intently as their boss.

Finally, Kelling paused for breath and Shinra leaned back in his chair.

"I see," he said. And he got up in one slinky movement like a cat, tossed back his hair, and walked out from behind his desk. "One more question, Kelling."

Biggs found his hand straying to the strap of his machine gun; there was a dangerous softness in Shinra's voice which he didn't like.

"Yes?"

"Did you take Cloud Strife and his girlfriend into your world too?"

Biggs gulped, his heart suddenly thumping loudly. _He knows! How does he know?_ His comrades all sensed the tension rising in the room. Kelling had gone ashen pale.

"I…"

"A funny thing happened three days ago," Shinra continued, striding up and down as he talked. "I was told that Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart had disappeared – without any warning, without taking anything or leaving any sign of where they had gone. Another friend of theirs came to visit that day and she vanished too. Then I came back to Edge and an even funnier thing happened. Two more of their companions disappeared. It was like they literally vanished into thin air. Strange, huh?

"But not only that, there have been disturbances in the air in Edge. Funnily enough, they're all concentrated in one particular area – a quarter mile radius around Cloud's house. I'm sure that if you had this information, Kelling, and if someone came to you and told you that they had a machine that could transport people from one world to another, and demonstrated how it worked – well, it wouldn't be too hard to connect the dots, would it?"

Shinra paused, folded his arms, and glared at Kelling.

"Well," Kelling faltered. "Let me explain…"

"You're a liar, Kelling," said Shinra. "When I make a deal with a businessman, I need to know that I can trust him. A businessman who lies to me, Kelling, is a dead man."

Biggs and Hawkson took a pace forward, ready to shield Kelling if the Turks attacked. His boss was beginning to tremble; Biggs could see the sweat beads forming on his face.

"Wait," said Kelling, "wait, wait, wait – we haven't made a deal yet; let me be more open with you."

Shinra slid a hand into the inside of his coat and pulled out a handgun. Idly, he flicked off the safety catch, making all the soldiers tense and raise their weapons at once, but Shinra didn't point the gun at Kelling. Instead, he held it loosely in his hand and smiled at them. _He's playing with us_, Biggs thought. _That young scoundrel_.

"You're right, you haven't broken any contract yet," said Shinra, "so I'm not going to kill you – yet. I'm going to give you one chance to walk away. Walk away now and make your decision – either run back to the world you came from and don't bother us again, or come back here at the same time tomorrow and we'll work something out on _my_ terms. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," Kelling muttered. His eyes were downcast; he was the very picture of defeat. _We're stuck_, Biggs thought. _If we go back to our world we'll have to stay in hiding until they hunt us down, and if we go back to Shinra, we'll end up working for him instead._ That wasn't an offer; it was an ultimatum.

Shinra glanced back at the blonde Turk. "What do you think, Elena?"

"I think it's a very generous offer, sir."

"Good. Escort these gentlemen out, will you?"

"Yes, sir."

Biggs watched Kelling, wondering if his boss would risk a conflict, but he only turned around and meekly followed Elena. The rest of the group trailed after him, helpless and dejected.


	25. Regrouping

**25**

** Regrouping**

Wedge sat on the bed, deep in thought, while Hawkson stared out of the window and Biggs paced up and down. Kelling and Piet had retreated to the room next door to confer. Little eddies and currents of thought ran through his head, like swirling dust, making patterns and connections – Tifa's lovely face, her mouth forming words…

"_If you ever come to Edge, be sure to drop by Seventh Heaven."_

Seventh Heaven–

"_I have two orphan children waiting for me back home."_

Children without their parents; a child who had discovered Piet's hideout–

"_No, we can't go there; that's where the boy will be."_

They couldn't stay hidden for long; the boy knew something, Rufus Shinra knew about them… Where had he heard that name before?

"_Everyone's heard of Shinra."_

"Wedge!"

He looked up, startled. "Sorry, sir."

"This is no time to have your head in the clouds!" Biggs barked. "What were you going to tell me?"

Wedge looked over at Hawkson, still gazing out of the window stolidly, and shook his head. Understanding dawned in Biggs' eyes.

"Hawkson!"

Hawkson jumped to attention. "Sir?"

"Go downstairs to the bar and get us something to drink," said Biggs.

Hawkson nodded. Both men watched him go. It was only after the door closed and they heard Hawkson's heavy footsteps descending the stairs that Biggs sat down next to Wedge.

"Well?"

"I have a confession to make, sir."

* * *

Back at Balamb Garden, everyone had congregated in the foyer. Squall's group was the last to arrive; he had been held up by Odine in the parking lot, but with a lot of apologising, reassurance and Xu's firm hand on his back, the scientist had finally been led away to a room to rest.

Cloud and his friends had been talking – or, in Yuffie's case, yelling – but as they approached, five hostile faces snapped around to focus on him. Rinoa took his hand as Irvine slipped away from the throng to join Selphie.

"We've had a bit of a set-back," Squall began. He wasn't allowed to finish.

"I told you!" said Cloud. "I told you we should have headed for the laboratory straight away!"

"I know," said Squall wearily, "but it's too late now; there's no point dwelling on it."

"What're you going to do now?"

"I don't know."

"We have to find the portal," said Cloud. "Get all your SeeDs on it – tell them to comb the area-"

"I can't do that. SeeD has a limited budget. And besides, we don't even know where to start looking."

Cloud remained adamant. "Then we look everywhere. We travel the world if we have to."

His friends all made sounds of agreement.

A crowd of students were beginning to gather around the scene. One of them was brave enough to shout, "Hey, Leonhart! When are we ever gonna get to take the SeeD test?"

"And when is that skiver Instructor Kinneas gonna come back?"

Squall passed his hands over his eyes. "We should discuss this in private. In my office."

"All right," said Cloud. He turned to his friends. "I'll go. The rest of you stay here. I'll see you later, Tifa, okay?"

She nodded.

Ignoring the crowd, Squall met Cloud's eyes. The two men walked up to the elevator together, leaving the rest of the group behind them.

* * *

"You did _what_?"

Biggs' headache had returned to torment him again. The enormity of what Wedge had told him was sinking in – but slowly, reluctantly, like pushing a pin through rubber.

"I have an idea, sir," said Wedge. "Do you remember the time we deserted the army?"

"Yes." He could hardly forget it.

"Kelling bailed us out. But I don't think he can get us out of this. I think we need someone else to bail us out."

"Who?"

"Tifa's friends," said Wedge eagerly. "She lives at Seventh Heaven, that place we passed – if we tell them what happened, I'm sure they'll help us, sir!"

"Help the people who kidnapped their friends in the first place? I think you need to screw your head back on."

"Well, not the boss. But they could help _us_."

Biggs looked at Wedge and he understood. He had to decide where his loyalties lay – with Kelling, or with Wedge. Truth be told, it wasn't a hard decision.

"I'm with you," said Biggs. "I for one would like to get out of this alive. But how can we get to Seventh Heaven without the boss knowing?"

Wedge gave a sheepish grin. "I'm still thinking about that one, sir."

* * *

Being back at Balamb Garden was oddly reassuring for Yuffie. The campus had become familiar to her over the last few days: the clean walkways, the grass, the trees, the still water and the serene atmosphere. She watched the crowd of students being shooed away by Irvine. They were all around her age. They might have been her peers, she thought, if she had been born in this world.

"Now what?" she heard Red XIII ask.

Irvine, who had gone over to whisper something to Selphie, looked up and stepped forward.

"Say, while we're waiting, I know something we haven't done." Irvine was looking mainly at Tifa as he spoke.

"What's that?" Tifa asked.

"I promised to give you a proper tour, remember? How about it?"

"_We'll_ give you all a tour," Selphie corrected, hanging on to Irvine's arm. "And Irvine isn't going to show you his shower, are you, Irvy?"

Irvine grinned. "Not unless you want me to."

"Perv," said Selphie, but she was grinning too.

_She doesn't seem to mind his flirting at all_, Yuffie thought. _Just then, she practically encouraged it. People sure do like weird things in other people._

It was _purely_ by coincidence that her eyes strayed to Seifer at that moment. He was leaning against the side of the noticeboard, watching them with his eyes half-closed. Yuffie returned her attention to the group around her as Selphie asked her a question.

"What?"

"I said, do you wanna come?" said Selphie patiently.

"Oh. Nah, I think I'll pass. You already gave me the grand tour, remember?"

"Okay!" said Selphie brightly. "See ya later!" She winked at Yuffie before waving her arms at the group in general. "C'mon, everyone – this way!"

Tifa touched her arm and smiled as she passed by. "See you," she murmured. Nobody seemed surprised that she had turned down their offer; in fact, she was disquieted to notice Red XIII turning his head back to give her a knowing look. He said nothing, but her stomach flipped. Then he padded after the rest of the group and they were gone.

Yuffie was left alone in the foyer. Well, not alone. She put her hands on her hips and faced the man still leaning against the noticeboard, watching her with a glint in his eyes.

"Not walking off this time, huh?"

"I will if you want me to."

There was a pause. Then: "I'm still mad at you," said Yuffie.

"And I'm still mad at you."

"Thing is," she said, speaking fast in her effort to explain herself, "I thought I was leaving, you know? And it's like making friends with someone when all you really wanna do is nab their materia. You only get close for a second, just so you can snatch it away and then you never see them again."

"Are you saying you only wanted to nab my materia?" Seifer asked, amused.

"No! Gawd, how'd you make that sound dirty?"

"You said it first."

"No, no," she said, though she was grinning, because it seemed like Seifer was back to his old self again. "No, what I meant was-"

"I know what you meant. I guess I shouldn't have been so angry."

She knew at once that this was the closest she would get to an apology. And he had said it first, so now she no longer felt reluctant to reconcile.

"Yeah, well, I did kind of stand you up." She poked him in the chest. "I bet that bruised your ego."

He placed his hand over his heart and put on an expression of mock sorrow. "Damn near crushed it."

She laughed.

"But since you might be stuck here for a while," Seifer continued, "might as well make the most of it. How about a taste of Garden life?"

"If you mean classes, Seifer, no way, nuh-uh. I'm not doing your homework for you."

"No, I don't mean that. But you could try joining the Disciplinary Committee – only 'til you piss off back home, of course."

"I thought I was on the _list_."

"List of potential members," said Seifer, and she laughed again.

"You had your eye on me that long, huh?"

"Come on," he said. "Come and meet the posse."

* * *

After the crowd in the foyer, Squall's office was blessedly empty and silent. He felt like he could think here; it was his own private space. The regular ticking of the clock soothed him. Leaning against his desk, he found that he could face Cloud in a calmer frame of mind, and his breathing slowed.

"So you want to go out and search for the portal, right?"

"Yes," said Cloud, "but we don't know this world like you. We'd be lost."

Squall understood what he was saying. Cloud was asking for their help. He sighed. Was it wrong of him to feel put upon? Couldn't someone take responsibility off him for a change? He was still a teenager; he didn't want all this pressure.

"I can't spare you many SeeDs," he said. "We've already wasted a lot of time and effort without any pay-"

Cloud made a derisive sound. "Payment, is that all you care about?"

Squall's calm had quickly evaporated. His fingers tightened around the edge of his desk. "I could just throw you out and make you find your way home yourselves," he hissed. "I don't care about any of you; you don't belong here and I want you gone as fast as possible."

Cloud folded his arms, his voice hard. "I used to be like you, Squall. I pretended that I didn't care; that I was only interested in the pay packet. You live life cold like that, your heart goes cold too."

"Don't tell me how I feel," Squall snapped.

Cloud merely looked at him, his face expressionless, but his eyes were piercing. It made Squall feel ashamed. He hadn't meant it, about not caring. He cleared his throat to hide his discomfort.

"Anyway," he said, "the point is that we have limited resources. We need to think and plan carefully. Irvine and Selphie can help you, since they've been part of this mission from the start. But that's all the help I can spare."

"What about Seifer?"

"Seifer…" He couldn't help scowling as he said it. But Seifer was part of this and Squall had promised to promote him if he saw this mission through. And at least a field mission would keep him out of the way, give him something to do – sometimes Squall wondered what his old rival did with his time at Balamb Garden. Seifer always seemed to be most alive when he was confronting something – whether a rival, a monster, or dangerous territory. No wonder he had been so happy in the training centre. "Yes," he said, "we can spare Seifer."

Cloud raised an eyebrow sardonically, but didn't comment.

"I should speak to General Caraway," Squall went on. "Maybe he'll have an idea about where Kelling is hiding."

* * *

Hawkson returned a couple of minutes later with bottles in hand, complaining about the terrible service. His timing was unfortunate, however, because Kelling and Piet entered the room at almost exactly the same moment.

"Drinks?" Piet's eyes lit up. "Ah, thank you, man, my throat is parched after all this talk."

And he took a bottle before any of the soldiers could say anything. Hawkson stood helplessly clutching the last two bottles, unsure what to do. His small eyes flicked between Biggs and Kelling.

"Put them down," said Kelling, indicating the dresser. "You can drink later."

Hawkson obeyed, casting a sullen glance at Piet, who was smacking his lips with relish.

"Here's what we're going to do," Kelling continued. "Wedge, I want you to go back through the portal and inform the scientists to be ready to transport one Rufus Shinra, along with everyone else, tomorrow afternoon, when I give the signal."

Wedge's eyes widened. "You're going to kidnap him, sir?"

"Correct. Shinra may think he has the upper hand, but I shall prove him wrong. And I won't repeat the same mistakes we made with Cloud and Tifa."

* * *

The conversation with Caraway had not been a great success. Caraway, unsurprisingly, blamed SeeD for their failure to capture Kelling and the portal before it had been moved. Squall had been forced to endure some scathing criticism, which was particularly embarrassing in front of Cloud. The only good thing was that Caraway had agreed to pay SeeD if they did manage to catch him. Normally contracts were signed beforehand and fees paid upfront, but SeeD's recent failure had obviously decreased Caraway's confidence in them.

"Do you have any ideas where he might be?" Squall had asked.

"No. I doubt he will have left the continent, as we're monitoring all the ports, but apart from that your guess is as good as mine."

Shortly after that, they said their goodbyes and the call ended. Squall leaned back and his hand slipped on a pile of unfinished reports. Attempted assassinations created a hell of a lot of paperwork.

Cloud's mouth twitched. "A whole continent, huh? I guess that narrows it down a little."

"Yeah."

A second later, he realised that Cloud had been cracking a joke. He thought about smiling or chuckling in response, but it was a bit late for that. To cover his embarrassment, he picked up the papers and shuffled them, looking down. Cloud seemed uncomfortable too; he shifted his balance from one foot to the other. The silence stretched. Both of them decided to fill it at the same time:

"Anyway, I-"

"Well, looks like-"

They broke off. Cloud's eyes dropped; he looked even more uncomfortable. It was up to Squall to ease the tension between them, he thought. Whether he liked it or not, he felt responsible for these strangers – they were here because of Rinoa, and she was his first responsibility. He tried to imagine what Rinoa would have wanted him to say.

"I'm sorry that we were too late," he said quietly.

Cloud looked back up at him and his face softened. "It's okay. At least we're all alive, and Tifa's safe."

_He mentions Tifa a lot_, Squall thought. _Maybe she's the person who got him to open up, to show that he cared. How do women do that?_

"Anyway, you can stay for the time being, if you want," he went on. "You might be stuck for a while…"

"Yeah. At least Yuffie will be happy; she's made a few friends here."

"Don't get comfortable," Squall warned him. "Don't get close, because when you leave that'll only make it harder."

But Cloud shook his head. "I know why you say that," he said, "and it's true, but…" He sighed. "No, you probably don't want to talk about it."

"You think you understand me, is that it? What makes you think that?"

"Because like I said, you remind me of myself." Cloud regarded him steadily. "Don't shut people out. I made that mistake. When you push people away, you miss out on a lot. If you've got a chance of happiness, you should grab on to it, enjoy it while you can, even if it doesn't last long. Otherwise all you're left with are regrets."

He spoke from experience, Squall could tell. "Well, I'll consider that," he said.

"All right." Cloud made as if to go.

"Wait."

He turned back, his shoulder armour and buckles clanking slightly. For perhaps the first time, Squall looked at him and didn't see a killer. He saw a warrior, strong and capable, with a determined light in his eyes. The kind of man you would be glad to have at your back in a fight.

"I hope that we can be friends," said Squall stiffly.

Cloud smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that."

* * *

"Ready?" Kelling asked.

Wedge saluted. "I'll sort things out on our side, sir," he said. He gave Biggs a significant look as he said this, and Biggs nodded.

"Good."

And then Kelling pressed the resonator, activating the signal, and Wedge vanished, leaving only the trace of a smile.

* * *

Yuffie had managed to forget about their situation for the time being. She was having fun. They had strolled around Balamb Garden, intimidating students and generally acting like they owned the place. But she sensed that Seifer was becoming restless when he started to swing his sword around.

"Let's go to the training centre – make it a sparring competition."

Yuffie grinned. "You're on!"

"Hey, we're not armed," said Raijin. "Bit unfair, ya know?"

"Go and arm yourselves, then," said Seifer. "I'll be waiting at the training centre."

Raijin and Fujin nodded. As Seifer strode off, Yuffie hesitated.

"Do you always do what he says, just like that?" she asked. Not once had she seen them question anything Seifer said.

Fujin turned her unblinking, one-eyed gaze on Yuffie. Her stare was disapproving. She hadn't spoken at all since they had been introduced and she didn't look as though she was about to now. It was left to Raijin to answer her.

"Not always. But it's best not to argue with Seifer. He always chooses his own path, ya know?"

"And you follow him?"

"That depends. Sometimes he wants to do his own thing, ya know?"

"Then what?"

Raijin shrugged. "What's it matter to you?"

"Yuffie!"

She snapped her head around; Seifer had called her. He had stopped to lounge against the barrier that marked the edge of the walkway.

"Gonna follow him?" Raijin asked, grinning.

She stuck her tongue out at him before she turned and ran to catch back up with Seifer.

* * *

"Ah," said Quistis, "so you're the man who tried to kill me."

From her very first words, she had caught Cloud off-guard. It had been Tifa's suggestion that they visit Quistis in the infirmary and he had agreed at once. His expression contrite, he opened his mouth to apologise, but she waved a hand still attached to a drip. "Don't worry about it. It happens."

Some of his dubiousness must have shown on his face because Quistis gave him a tired smile and said, "No, really, I mean it. Sometimes it's inevitable that our paths will cross; it's the nature of things."

"Is that what they teach you here?" Tifa asked. She was sitting in the visitor's chair next to him, holding his hand. Her warm and solid presence gave him support.

"It's what I learned. I remember when we all first got our driving licenses. Everyone used to complain about traffic wardens; they were considered the scum of the earth. But I never begrudged them. After all, they're only doing their jobs. You can't blame someone for that."

"You can blame them for choosing that job," Cloud said.

She shrugged her good shoulder. "Who knows? Perhaps they didn't have a choice. I don't think I ever knew anybody who wanted to be a traffic warden when they grew up. Did you dream of becoming an assassin?"

"No… I wanted to be a SOLDIER though… I suppose that's close enough. It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Defending your country is a noble profession," said Quistis. "I always respect soldiers for that, whether enemy or ally." She grinned crookedly. "You're not the first person to try and kill me."

Her sense of humour caught Cloud slightly off-guard too. He found himself smiling back at her. He felt immediately that Quistis was someone he could respect, and a new sense of relief that she had survived surged over him.

"So when are you going back to your own world?" she asked.

He sighed. "We don't know." He explained their situation. "We're going to organise another search party tomorrow. I think we'll scour Caraway City first… Squall said he knew some Galbadian SeeDs who might be willing to help us."

"I wish I could help you organise. I'm good at that."

"You're very forgiving," said Tifa.

Quistis smiled. "But so are you. It's not worth holding a grudge now, is it?"

He looked at her smooth, calm face, framed by long blonde hair. She seemed so tranquil. _Maybe she's right_, he thought.

* * *

Fully armed, the four of them strolled into the training centre. But their practice battle was not to be, as they were distracted by an encounter with Vincent and Irvine. The two gunmen were standing in the middle of a wide clearing. It looked as though the area had already been emptied of monsters.

"I'd say I have two specialties," Irvine was saying to Vincent. "Guns – and women. What about you?"

"...Guns."

Yuffie sniggered as Irvine turned around and noticed them.

"Hi," he said.

"What are you doing?" she asked curiously. She looked around. An array of empty potion bottles stood on the railing of a bridge some distance away. The dim light sparkled off the glass. Yuffie squinted; she counted twenty – no, twenty four. Each bottle looked about the size of her fingernail from where she was standing.

"We've just set up," said Irvine. "We're going to have a little shooting contest, you see. Twelve rounds each, one for every bottle." He pointed at the bridge again; this time Yuffie noticed that there was a gap in the middle, so that the bottles were spread out evenly on each side.

"Right, I see," said Yuffie. She glanced at Seifer. "Wanna watch?"

"All right," said Seifer. "Take a bet on who'll win?"

Yuffie grinned. "Yeah, go on then. I'm betting on Vincent!"

As they spoke, Vincent had been loading his gun. He looked up briefly. "A wise choice."

"Hey, hey, hey," said Irvine. "What's this, no confidence in Garden's best sharpshooter?"

"You don't know Vincent," said Yuffie. "He once blew a wasp that was attacking me out of midair."

"A wasp?"

"Yeah, a wasp! They're bugs of pure evil. The nasty bugger would have stung me if it weren't for Vincent!"

"My finest hour," said Vincent dryly.

"Really?" Seifer looked at Vincent appraisingly. "All right, I'll take vampire boy here over Garden's best failed instructor. Fujin? Raijin?"

Fujin pointed at Irvine.

"Thanks," said Irvine, smiling.

"Raijin?"

"Uh… I dunno, ya know?"

Fujin stamped on Raijin's foot. His uncertain expression vanished; he squawked and cried, "Irvine! I'll bet on Irvine!"

"Good," Seifer said. "Five hundred gil each, all right?"

They nodded. The bet agreed upon, the four of them settled down comfortably to watch the contest. Yuffie sat down and crossed her arms over her legs, taking in the earthy smell, the humid atmosphere of the indoor jungle. She remembered that terrible night she had broken Cloud in through here – somehow the jungle had seemed much more forbidding that night: dark shadows, creeping shapes, the constant sense of otherness. It felt much friendlier now.

Vincent stood on the left of the clearing, furthest away from Yuffie. He was ready. There was a click as Irvine finished loading his gun, then he looked at Yuffie and grinned.

"Say, Yuffie, how about if I win, I take you out tonight?"

Yuffie raised her eyebrows. "You mean like a date?"

"Yeah."

She felt Seifer stiffen beside her and gave him a warning nudge. "Sure, I'll take that bet," she said. "It won't matter 'cause you won't win anyway."

"Wow, you're hard to please. Well, let me show you." He turned to Vincent. "Are you ready?"

"Yes."

Both gunmen faced the bridge and raised their guns. Fujin counted down for them.

"THREE… TWO… ONE… GO!"

The air filled with the crack of gunshots. Yuffie associated that noise with battle; it made her breath quicken and sent her heart rate pounding. She sprang up excitedly and peered through the trees – several bottles had already exploded, sending glass shards sparkling into the air. _Crack_ – another bottle down; she couldn't tell who had hit the most. She glanced at Vincent. He looked completely composed, firing shot after shot in quick succession with the slightest precise sideways movement as he aimed at each bottle in turn. Irvine was slower; as she watched, Vincent fired his last bullet and lowered his arm. Irvine held his gun in both hands, squinting as he took aim and then pulled the trigger. He stopped shooting a second after Vincent.

For a moment, there was a silence that Yuffie could not hear, because her ears were ringing with the sound of the gunshots. Faint curls of smoke drifted through the air, accompanied by an acrid smell. Then she caught a glimpse of a familiar patch of red. Red XIII padded across the bridge, sniffing at the remains of the bottles.

Irvine's voice filtered through to her ears. "Red'll tell us who's won."

Indeed, as he spoke, Red bounded through the undergrowth and up the path towards them, much faster than any human could run. He slowed down to a trot as he approached them.

"I see you have an audience."

"Go on then, tell us!" said Yuffie. "Who won?"

Red paused to clean his whiskers with a paw. Everyone had gathered around him by now – even Raijin and Fujin looked curious to see him close up.

"Vincent scored eleven out of twelve bottles," said Red. "They were all smashed, but he missed one of them – it must have been knocked over by the other bottles exploding."

Seifer whistled. "Eleven out of twelve. That's good, vampire boy. Should be enough to beat Irvine."

Vincent's face had twitched at the phrase 'vampire boy', but otherwise he didn't respond.

"And Irvine…" Red continued. "Irvine scored ten out of twelve-"

He was drowned out at that point by Yuffie's loud whoop. She punched the air, crowing in triumph. Seifer was similarly jubilant – grinning, he held up his hand and they high-fived. Even Vincent allowed himself a small smile as Raijin and Fujin grumpily promised to hand over the money later.

"I told you Vince would win!" said Yuffie to a crestfallen Irvine.

"You were making me nervous," he complained. "All of you watching me… I lost my focus."

She scoffed. Seifer nudged her and said, "See, Irvine can't perform when anyone's watching…"

They both sniggered at Irvine who was showing signs of beginning to lose his composure. Vincent shot both of them a cold look and then he turned to shake Irvine's hand.

"Ignore them," he said. "The most important thing for a sharpshooter is to keep his focus. Becoming distracted in battle can be fatal."

Irvine looked taken aback at Vincent's solemn tone before he fell into his usual lazy smile. "I can't help that I get distracted by cute girls."

This time Yuffie had to forcibly grab Seifer's hand to pull him back. His anger was palpable. Vincent looked around, his gaze drifting from Fujin to Yuffie. His eyes came to rest on Yuffie's hand curled around Seifer's and she let go of him as though his hand had scalded her, feeling her face turn hot. Vincent raised one eyebrow very slightly.

"A skilful fighter doesn't allow himself to be distracted by anything," he said. "Even… cute girls."

Irvine shrugged, seemingly unaware of the tension he had provoked. "Sure, but what good is the life of a fighter without a cute girl to come home to?"

"Did you both just call me cute?" Yuffie asked. This was even better than winning five hundred gil.

"Sure did," said Irvine, grinning.

At that point, two people snapped, one of them expected and the other rather unexpected. Seifer strode forward, fists clenched and his face an inch from Irvine's.

"All right, Kinneas, you're walking on a very fine line here, you know? Selphie's the only one you actually got laid with, so why don't you stop bothering everyone else and go screw her?"

As the colour slowly drained from Irvine's face, someone else seemed to be acquiring it. Spots of fury appeared on Fujin's cheeks.

"DON'T I COUNT?"

"Excuse me," said Red. They all glanced down at him, startled. Yuffie had almost forgotten he was there. "The level of testosterone here is making my nose itch. Are we done?"

"Only if Seifer apologises," said Irvine, his voice cold. "You have no right to insult my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend, is she? Yeah, right. You don't treat her with enough respect to be your girlfriend."

Yuffie looked between the two of them, both tall, both righteously angry, and her heart swelled with pride for Seifer. She had heard all about Irvine's shenanigans and thought it was about time that he was called out for them.

Irvine was trembling. "Don't you lecture me about respect."

"I'm too much of a scumbag for you, huh? Well, let me tell you this, from scumbag to scumbag. If Selphie was my girlfriend, I would never, ever look twice at another girl. I'd treat her with the respect she deserves. I'm better than you. How does that feel?"

Yuffie squeezed Seifer's arm, to show her approval. Everyone had ignored Fujin's outburst, leaving Raijin to deal with her; he was talking to her in a low voice a little way away. The focus of everyone else was on Irvine, from Vincent's blank gaze, to Seifer's sneer and Yuffie's glare. He obviously sensed that the overall mood was against him, because he backed away and dropped his eyes.

"I'm not having this conversation," he muttered. He shoved past them all, head down and hurried towards the exit. For a few seconds, there was silence, as they watched him go, his slim figure soon swallowed up by the dense jungle.

Vincent shook his head. "Another world and the relationships are still just as tangled."

* * *

For the second time that day, Wedge woke up feeling sick and dizzy. It felt as though all the atoms in his body had gone askew, and they rattled, jarring this way and that, in their attempt to readjust.

"Urgh…" he groaned.

"Subject recovering," said Kyme's voice.

"Come on, get up," said another, much more impatient voice. Blearily, he sensed Holt haul him to his feet.

"Thanks," he muttered. He had thought there was a whirring noise in his head, but something in his perception shifted and he realised it was the humming of the computers. Of course, all the machinery was still running, with the scientists to monitor it.

"So what is it?" Holt asked. "What did he send you back for?"

"A message… I have a message…"

"What message?"

Wedge explained as best as he could. Kyme watched him, gnawing at his pencil like a rat. Holt paced up and down and fired question after question at him.

"He wants us to transport them all back? Simultaneously?"

Wedge nodded. His head was starting to clear.

"And where are they transporting from?"

"From the new Shinra building. It's on the outskirts of Edge."

"How far is that from Seventh Heaven?"

Wedge had to think about that, which didn't do his head any good. "I'm not sure – half a mile, maybe three quarters of a mile?"

"Half a mile!"

"The edge of Edge," said Kyme, and snickered.

Holt stopped his pacing and glared at them both. "It's out of range! Out of range! What the hell is he thinking?"

"Well, can't you reset the co-ordinates?" Wedge suggested.

"It isn't that simple! Look, I used to work for Odine – the guy's a genius. He's the one who set this program up. I'm just the lab assistant – I can use the program, but changing it? I haven't a goddamn clue what would happen; for all I know, it might implode."

Wedge shrugged. "I'm only passing along a message, sir. Those were his orders."

"Holy shit."

"What to do?" Kyme asked. The end of his pencil had been all but nibbled away by now.

"I don't know, I don't know – we'll just have to try – if I can set up a duplicate program on another computer, I can mess around with it without disturbing the main terminal-"

"Get a working code-"

"If there is one. God, we've only got twelve hours-"

The two scientists bent their heads together, deep in frantic conversation. They took no more notice of Wedge. It was the ideal opportunity to slip away. Looking around, he caught the eye of a solitary guard by the door. The guard had a cigarette, and the smoke and the red light hazed over his face. Wedge walked over shakily; the smell of the smoke made him feel sick again.

"Wedge," the guard grunted. "So what was Esthar like?"

"It disagreed with me."

The guard grunted again, looking at Wedge's pale face. "I can see that."

"I think I need some rest. They said that the sickness wears off after a while."

"Good luck."

Wedge smiled at him as he slipped through the door. He hurried along the metal walkway. There was a side door not far ahead which led outside to where the vehicles were parked. The facility had long since been abandoned; only the main control room had functioning power, and it was eerie to tiptoe along in the half darkness, listening to the creaking of disused pipes and the faint humming of the power cables.

When good, honest sunlight streamed into his face, Wedge breathed in the air of his own world happily. The dust of the desert, the rolling gold of the plains and the chalk-coloured stripes of the sky all glowed softly in the evening sun. The sight lifted his heart; he felt better about what he was going to do.

Turning from the sight of the Galbadian plains, he saw two identical military trucks parked on the concrete. The gates had gone, destroyed in an explosion over a year ago, when the missile base had been closed down, but the road which led into the plains was still there. Although a few weeds poked up through the concrete, it remained perfectly serviceable.

Wedge glanced around but saw no guards. He climbed up into the first truck and was delighted to find the key had been left in the ignition. His sluggish brain reminded him that he ought to sabotage the other vehicle, just in case they saw him and chased after him. So Wedge got out, his heart thumping, and slashed the tyres awkwardly with his sword. He removed the key from the ignition as well, and slipped it into his pocket. That took around three minutes; too long for Wedge, whose palms were beginning to sweat. He wondered if he should have staged a more convincing disappearance, like faking his death, but there was no time; it would have to do.

He climbed into the second truck and slung his scabbard onto the back seat. This was it: all he had was a stolen truck, his sword, and the clothes he wore. Feeling drunk with fear, sickness and excitement, Wedge started the engine and drove away.


	26. Contingency Plan

**26**

** Contingency Plan**

Back at the inn, Biggs was playing the waiting game. They had little to do but rest as they prepared for their next move. At one end of the room, Kelling and Piet were holding a whispered discussion. At the other, Biggs and Hawkson spent their time playing cards, watching the goings-on outside the window or standing guard in silence. During the silences, Biggs had time to think about his situation.

Wedge was going to take care of things back home, or so he hoped. But at his end, he didn't know what to do. He couldn't very well stroll off without any explanation. Even if he could plausibly get away, there was still the problem of how to get to Seventh Heaven, explain his situation and return. He would have to return – without Kelling, he had no way of getting home again. The more Biggs thought about it, the more he didn't like the idea of sneaking off. The prospect of being caught filled him with fear.

A movement across the room distracted him; Piet and Kelling had got up. Piet slipped a hand inside his coat and drew out a heavy pistol.

Frowning, Kelling asked, "Are you sure this is really necessary?"

"I think it would be safer if you were armed, sir," said Piet firmly, shoving the pistol into Kelling's hands.

Biggs leaned against the wall and watched, trying to keep his expression blank. His boss held the pistol like it was a dead thing; it looked clumsy and heavy in his hand. Piet showed him how to hold and aim it, how to flick the safety catch on and off, how to load the gun.

"What's that for, sir?" Biggs asked, though he thought he knew the answer.

"Rufus Shinra carried a weapon on his person," said Kelling. "I shall do the same, just in case of trouble. I may not be an expert when it comes to using these things, but Shinra doesn't know that."

"We use every advantage we can," said Piet. "Speaking of which, do I have permission to carry out my little idea, sir?"

Kelling sighed. "Yes."

"Idea, sir?" Biggs asked.

"You'll find out soon enough," said Piet. Biggs knew better than to ask any more.

* * *

"Look, kid," said Cid, "we ain't got any more leads to go on."

"It's not fair," Denzel muttered, downcast. "There must be _something_."

Barret looked at him with pity in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Denzel. Maybe he got nothing to do with it anyway."

"He did!" Denzel insisted, eyes blazing at once. "I know he did! And anyway, he's a murderer, so he must have been bad."

Barret had gone over to Piet's apartment with Cait Sith after hearing Denzel's story, but all they had found there was a dead body. It made Denzel shiver to think of the poor prisoner, now just a corpse, lying blank-eyed on the floor. He didn't know who he was and now he might never find out.

Perched upon the kitchen table in the middle of them all, Cait Sith coughed.

"What?" Cid snapped.

"Got some news," said Cait Sith. "Would y'all like to hear?"

"Yes!" said Denzel and Marlene at the same time.

"Rufus Shinra says he has some very interesting information for ya."

"Shinra?" Barret growled. "What the hell does that son-of-a-bitch want?"

Cait Sith told them about Shinra's visitors. His cheery expression faltered when both Cid and Barret stood up and started yelling expletives at the same time.

"They were right _there_ and the bastard let them go? What the hell is he playing at?"

"I don't trust no Shinra scum! Rufus is up to something and I'm gonna stop it!"

Normally, Barret would have controlled himself in front of Marlene, but even he seemed to have forgotten Marlene's presence in his rage. If Tifa had been there, she would have told them to tone down their language, Denzel reflected miserably. As it was, the shouting adults only increased his sense of how desperate their situation was.

Finally, Cait Sith had to yell into his megaphone to get them to calm down. He looked around, his black-and-white face uncharacteristically serious.

"Rufus told me that he's gonna meet Piet, Kelling and the other folks at the same time and place tomorrow. And we've all got a personal invitation. I'll be there – I mean, Reeve will, so even if you don't go, you can listen in through me."

"I want to go," said Denzel at once.

"_No_," said Barret.

"But-"

"You're not going, so don' even try. Me an' Cid'll pay Shinra a call. 'Bout time I got a look round their fancy new headquarters."

His dismissive attitude made Denzel clench his teeth. He climbed on top of his chair, so he was at head height with Barret, and glared at him. "You're not my father, you can't tell me what to do!"

"Damn straight I can! You're already in trouble for sneaking off with Cait Sith, boy. Tifa'd have my ass if I let you get in any more trouble – you're staying here and that's _final_."

Denzel sat back down but his heart was simmering with resentment. Cid had watched the proceedings with raised eyebrows, chewing on a cigarette he wasn't allowed to light. There were rules in Cloud and Tifa's house and Denzel knew that Barret was right to uphold them but it didn't prevent him from casting a mutinous look at Barret anyway.

"Good luck, Papa," Marlene whispered.

Barret smiled, softening at once, and hugged his daughter.

"All right, kids," said Cid in a bored voice. "Go and play now. Barret and I got stuff to discuss."

Cait Sith hopped off the table, ready to play the role of babysitter again, and Marlene disentangled herself from her foster father's arms, but Denzel didn't move until she took his hand. The expression in her eyes clearly told him that he should give this one up. Sighing, he allowed himself to be led away, casting one final look at Barret and Cid still standing around the kitchen.

"You got spirit, kid," said Cid. "But you're too young for all this."

_Too young_. More than ever, Denzel missed Cloud. Cloud had always taken him seriously, treated him like an equal – with respect. He was more like a big brother than a father figure. _Damn you, Cloud. Why do all the people I love have to disappear?_

* * *

The curfew had gone by and they were still waiting for Yuffie. Tifa sipped a mug of hot chocolate, while Cloud gazed into the distance, thinking. He had long since exhausted the possibilities for Yuffie's absence – she was often late, but if she decided to pull an all-nighter he'd have a few choice words to say to her. His thoughts turned to home. Yuffie had once looked after the kids while Cloud and Tifa went out for the night. They had returned to find the kids still up, faces flushed from high doses of sugary snacks. Apparently Yuffie had 'forgotten' to put them to bed.

He wished he was there now, so that he could wish the kids good night. Tifa said they slept better when he was there. They took it in turns to say good night – a hug and a kiss on Marlene's forehead, a brief chat and a ruffle of Denzel's hair. It was bizarre for him at first. He felt like a fraud as a father – surely he couldn't really be up to all this dad stuff. Often he still felt like a kid himself. And it wasn't as though he had anything to go on – he had grown up without a father in the house, which probably explained a lot – so he didn't know how to behave. He had to keep looking to Tifa for reassurance – _am I doing this right?_

He focused his gaze on Tifa in front of him. She had finished her drink, but her head was bent down. Even her silence was comforting. Without her, he had been floundering alone in this world – despite Yuffie's best efforts, there had been moments when he hadn't known what the right thing to do was. Tifa brought everything into clear focus.

She looked up at him and smiled, but her eyes were troubled.

"What's up?" he asked softly.

"I'm thinking about Denzel and Marlene."

"Me too."

"Do you think they're all right?"

"They'll be fine with Barret."

"I know… Did you know that all the children here are orphans?"

He looked at her quizzically.

"Not just the children. All the children who've grown up – Squall, Selphie, Irvine, Quistis. Made orphans by a war, and then brought up to fight in battle… Now they're teaching the younger children to fight too."

He understood. Parentless students were being brought up by parentless adults. "You mean, a cycle…"

"Yes. And do you remember how Denzel asked you to teach him to use a sword?"

He nodded.

"I don't want him to fight, Cloud. He shouldn't have to. Didn't we fight so that others could live in peace?"

"It's not always that simple."

"I wish it were." She sighed. "I used to think that if Shinra weren't around, everything would be so much better. This world is so different, but it has all the same problems. It's kind of depressing."

"I think they're connected."

It was Tifa's turn to look puzzled.

"I'll show you." He stood up and went over to the window, beckoning her. As she joined him, he put one arm around her while the other pulled back the curtains. Gazing upwards, he could see a large patch of night sky in between the Garden structure. A few stars twinkled.

"Do you see that? It's the same sky. The stars are the same."

Tifa gazed upwards wonderingly. He looked at her and was struck all over again by her beauty. He was transported back to a night almost ten years ago: Tifa's shining dark eyes, the cool air against his skin, the promise they made under the stars. He had forgotten many things but the stars that night still burned in his memory.

She turned to him, her eyes shining with the light of those stars. "What does it mean?"

"Man, look at you two. Get a room already."

Startled, they turned as one to see Yuffie framed in the doorway, grinning at them.

"We _are_ in a room," said Cloud.

Yuffie slammed the door shut and sauntered towards them, tossing a materia from one hand to the other. "Yeah, yeah, smarty pants." She flopped down at the table. "I'm beat."

"You're back late," said Tifa. "Where have you been?"

"Oh, y'know, here and there. Where're Vince and Red?"

"They got tired of waiting for you, so they retired."

Yuffie yawned hugely. "Hey, I found out something really interesting today. There are these things called draw points – they're like sources of magic. I'm getting tired of not being able to zap anything, so I figured, how about I junction a GF thingamabob? Everyone else here does it so it can't be that hard. I wanna see if I can use the magic here – imagine, all those spells, just lying around waiting to be absorbed! So I told Seifer to show me but he said he doesn't have access to GFs right now – Selphie does though and I know she'll totally be up for a little experimentation so I'm gonna meet her tomorrow morning for breakfast and before you know it, I'll be going _pow zing pow!_ and it might even be better than materia 'cause it goes straight into your mind and you can carry as many as you can remember, no messing about with slots or pockets, which means I'll be kicking so much ass I'd blow away Sephiroth like a-"

She said all this without pausing for breath until Cloud interrupted her. "Yuffie!"

"What?"

He glared at her.

"Oh." Yuffie hastily stood up. "Privacy. Yeah. Never mind about my scintillating story."

"I'm sure we'll hear about it in the morning," said Tifa. Cloud was able to detect the tiny note of sarcasm in her voice, but Yuffie seemed oblivious.

"Yeah!" She leapt up. "Night, suckers!"

And, like a whirlwind, she was gone.

"I think she's starting to channel Seifer," said Tifa.

"I can't really tell the difference."

She chuckled. "Come on, then. We should sleep."

It was only later, when Tifa was breathing softly beside him and the hazy throes of sleep were beginning to overtake him, that he remembered their conversation had gone unfinished.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to talk to me?" Seifer asked. "Squall might have something to say about that."

They were in Rinoa's room; he had walked her up after encountering her in the library and she had invited him in. Seifer was lounging on the window seat. He had dislodged all the cushions. Soft lamplight, soft cushions and soft curtains formed a backdrop all around him; he looked like a figure in a portrait. Sitting with her elbows on the dressing table, Rinoa looked up at him through her hair.

"What do you mean?"

He told her what Squall had said to him.

Rinoa shook her head, frustrated. "I don't believe him; I thought we'd been through this. I hang around with Irvine more than I do you, and you know what Irvine's like. But that doesn't bother Squall."

"Well, Irvine knows that Squall'll snap his neck if he tries anything."

She laughed.

"I wasn't joking," said Seifer darkly.

"Oh, come on!" she said. "Anyway, Squall said he'd make you a SeeD after this mission, didn't he?"

"The mission's not over; it was aborted."

"As soon as we find out where the portal is, we'll all go," said Rinoa. "You'll be part of the team."

"Rinoa, I'm _never_ part of a team."

"Yes, you are. Because I want you there. Or isn't that good enough for you?"

He shot her a piercing look. "Let me ask you something. Do you ever feel out of place here? Do you ever feel that something's not right – that you're only doing what other people expect from you instead of following your true path?"

"I – I don't know," she said, flustered. "Isn't it enough to be with your friends?"

"You can change your friends," said Seifer dismissively. "The only thing you can't change is your own nature. I think I've realised that… I don't want to be a SeeD. It's not for me."

Her eyes widened. "But… Seifer… all this time, the training you did, the exams…"

"I've got happy memories of this place," he went on. "Messing around with Fujin and Raijin, skiving off class, even all the fights I got into with Squall as a kid. I came back to try and recapture that but too much has happened; it ain't the same. Everyone around me is moving on – hell, Rinoa, you're getting married soon, it's crazy – and I'm still stuck here pretending to be a student. I need to move on."

"So… you're leaving?"

"Not yet. I'll finish this mission first and then I'll leave."

She sat still for a moment, stunned. "Wow."

She had grown used to Seifer being around – she had encouraged him to stay, to make amends, because despite everything that had happened between them, she believed that Seifer was fundamentally a good person. And he had seemed to be doing so well. He'd settled in, he'd received high marks in most of his classes; he'd even managed to have several civil conversations with Squall without either of them trying to kill the other.

"I don't understand," she said. "Why now? When you're so close – why leave as soon as you've achieved what you need to become a SeeD?"

"That's the best thing about it, Rinoa! I'll prove that I can do it. I'll get that promotion, but I won't take it. I can do better than that… I can move on to higher things, find myself a new dream. That's what we all want, ain't it? A dream to follow. Have you got yours here?"

The question surprised her. She answered in the only way she could think of. "I've got Squall."

"Yeah. Let me know how that works out."

She nodded. "Yeah! Write to me, won't you – and let me know how things work out for you."

"Gotcha."

He stood up, and she stood up too, walking over to the door to show him out. When he'd gone, she thought, _My God. I think I'll miss him_.

* * *

The nightly vigil was quiet. In any vibrant city, Biggs would expect the night to be full of party-goers and drinkers, of young people out to have fun and older people trying to recapture their youth. But not here, or at least not in this part of Edge. Perhaps it was the dismal atmosphere. Rain drizzled in fits and starts. But on the few occasions he drifted over to the window, all he saw was the odd drunk.

Close to midnight, the door connecting their two rooms opened and closed with a faint snick. Biggs tensed. The shadowy figure of Piet paused to straighten his long black gloves. He was wearing a dark cloak and boots. Without glancing at Biggs, he walked towards the exit.

"What are you doing?" Biggs asked.

Piet turned and smiled coldly. "Contingency plan."

He pulled the dark hood over his head and swept away.

* * *

Rinoa had barely been alone for ten minutes when Squall came in. She looked up, startled.

"Oh! Are you having an early night for once?"

Squall nodded and pulled off his jacket. "I need the sleep. It'll be a long day tomorrow."

She watched him undress, feeling pensive. He took care to fold all of his clothes and stack them neatly on the window seat. He was so anal retentive about it that he'd noticed when she'd shifted a sock forty five degrees out of place. She'd teased him all day about that. Seifer had been much more like she had expected a guy to behave – he used to toss his clothes all over the floor and sometimes random pieces of furniture too. She smiled nostalgically as she remembered how in the mornings they'd wake up in a warm haze, the hot sun seeping through the curtains, half the bed sheets trailing over the floor–

_Stop it, Rinoa_, she told herself firmly. _He hasn't even gone yet and already you're getting all misty-eyed._

"I passed Seifer in the elevator just now," said Squall, distracting her. "Did he come up here?"

Blushing a little, she shrugged. "I don't know, I haven't seen him."

Squall didn't pursue the matter, to her relief. He went into the bathroom and she decided to get changed too. By the time he returned, Rinoa had dimmed the lamplight, changed into her nightdress (a different one; she had thrown away the blood spattered one) and got into bed, plumping up the pillows behind her. She liked pillows and cushions. Squall didn't. They compromised by Rinoa hogging most of the pillows on her side and Squall sticking with one on his side. She fluffed it up for him anyway.

As he began to climb into bed, she held out her arms. "Bedtime hug."

"I'm tired, Rinoa."

"Bedtime hug."

He sighed, turned towards her and she hugged him happily. She nuzzled his cheek and then whispered into his ear.

"So where are we going tomorrow?"

"I'm going to speak to Arin tomorrow morning. If we don't have any new leads, we'll probably go out to the city in pairs and see what we can find."

"The two of us, on foot? Wow, that'll almost be like a date!"

Squall shifted irritably. "What? No. You can stay here."

"Squall! Do I have to fight tooth and claw whenever I want to do _anything_?"

He sighed. "Sorry… It's just…For all we know, this might be exactly what they want. They might be hiding, waiting for you to come out into the open-"

"I don't think so. They wouldn't stand a chance, not when I'm prepared. Not even Cloud."

He made a small noise of dissent, but she continued talking. "Remember Edea? She deflected _bullets_, she knew they were coming. I'm learning too. I made a shield that night Cloud attacked me."

"You looked so scared," he said softly.

"I was. I know it's not safe – it'll never be safe out there, not for a Sorceress. But…"

"But sometimes you have to take a risk."

"Yeah. You do it all the time – all the SeeDs do. Why do you do that?"

"Because it's our job."

"Because it's your duty. And we have a duty to help. We'll put things in this world right again, and get Cloud and Tifa and everyone back where they belong so that they can put things right in their world."

"You're so hopelessly naïve, you know that?"

"And you're so cynical. But I love you anyway." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Nighty night!"

He reached across and turned out the light. His voice reached her through the darkness. "Good night."

* * *

Denzel was dreaming about his foster parents again. Cloud was on his motorcycle with Tifa sitting behind him, her arms wrapped around his waist. The engine revved.

"Wait!" Denzel shouted. "Don't go!"

But the noise of the engine drowned out his cry. A roar, a cloud of dust, and they had gone. Desperately, he ran, but the smooth road turned into mud around his feet – the mud clung to his legs, holding him back – he couldn't run, he couldn't even take another step–

A cold hand clamped down on his face. Instantly, Denzel woke; for a panicked moment, he thought the dream had come true; he couldn't move, there was something holding him–

Cold air, cold leather. Denzel thrashed, tried to scream, but he couldn't – he couldn't breathe, he couldn't see; the gloved hand pressed upon his face and someone was lifting him up. He kicked out and felt his foot connect with something fleshy – a leg or a stomach, but his assailant didn't falter.

Panic clawed at him – he didn't know which way was up and which way was down anymore; all he knew was that he had to get air. He struggled wildly to no avail and felt the despair of his own weakness. _Just a kid_. No air. Not even strong enough to fight for his breath. He couldn't… he couldn't…

* * *

When Yuffie got up before dawn, there had to be an ulterior motive. "Where are you going?" Nanaki asked.

Yuffie froze at the door. No doubt she had thought her sneaking around would go completely undetected, as befitted an expert ninja, but Nanaki's ears and nose were better than that.

"Uh, breakfast," she said.

"This early?"

"Got a problem with that, kitty cat?"

The insult didn't bother him. Yawning, he got up and stretched. After sleeping on the hard floor for what remained of the night, Nanaki's muscles were aching.

"I'll come with you."

Yuffie scrunched up her face in displeasure. "Oh, all right."

"It wasn't a request."

"What, you wanna follow me around like some kinda guard dog?"

"I want to know what you're up to."

She huffed. Nanaki slipped through the door and into the corridor. Shrugging, Yuffie set off after him.

"If you've gotta be so nosy, I'm meeting Selphie. She's gonna show me how to junction a GF."

Nanaki was intrigued. He had suspicions about how this would work out – ideas that he had told no one about yet. Out of all of them, he was the one who felt most keenly the displacement from his own world. It wasn't only the uncomfortable floor that made it difficult for him to sleep. Hunger also gnawed at him. The others didn't know, but he hadn't eaten at all since he'd arrived. The self-imposed fasting was beginning to have an effect. He loped after Yuffie, feeling slightly faint, the corridor walls pressing around him.

When they reached the open interior of Balamb Garden's ground floor, he felt somewhat relieved. Unfortunately, Yuffie led him straight into the cafeteria, a place he had thus far avoided, and there all manner of smells greeted him.

Selphie was already there. "Yuffie!" she squealed, throwing her arms around the girl. "I've already ordered us a cooked breakfast – perk of being a SeeD." She winked, before turning to Nanaki. "Oh, Red – I'm so sorry, I wasn't expecting you – do you want me to order you something too? The cooks will be super duper quick, I promise!"

Nanaki shook his head, not trusting himself to speak. The smells drifting from the kitchen were making his mouth water and his stomach turn simultaneously.

"He'll go catch a rat later or something," said Yuffie. She was clearly thinking of her own stomach.

They settled down at a table with long leather seats, so that Nanaki could sit next to Yuffie without too much trouble. The rest of the cafeteria was deserted. It was a Saturday. No one else was up yet. The meal arrived quickly – a proper cooked breakfast: crispy bacon, sausages, tomatoes, fried eggs and toast. He was forced to watch Selphie and Yuffie tucking in enthusiastically. To distract himself, Nanaki began licking a forepaw.

"Are you sure you don't want anything?" Selphie asked. Her bright green eyes watched him in concern. "Sausage?" She wafted a forkful of sausage in front of his nose.

Feeling quite sick and hoping they didn't notice, Nanaki shook his head. "No, thank you."

"Anyway," said Yuffie, who had finished the ravenous shoving-food-in-mouth stage and was now eating the rest of her meal with the restraint more appropriate for a lady of Wutai, "do you have a GF junctioned right now, Selphie?"

Selphie nodded. "Uh huh."

"So can I junction one? How do you do it?"

"Normally it takes a bit of training. You've gotta prepare your mind to contain one. Some people take to it naturally though. I can try linking you. Squall, Rinoa, Zell, Quistis, Irvine and me – we're all linked together to our circle of GFs. 'Cause our minds are linked, we can switch GFs and spells quick as you like."

"A mind link? Does that mean you can read each other's thoughts?" Yuffie looked alarmed.

And she would be, Nanaki thought dryly. Thieves and liars wouldn't get anywhere if their minds could be read.

"No, no," said Selphie reassuringly. "All the link allows is for us to share magic. I've got Siren and Shiva junctioned right now – do you wanna try…?" She broke off, looking puzzled.

Both Nanaki and Yuffie sat bolt upright at the mention of Shiva. They looked at each other, and despite their vast differences both in species and personality, Nanaki knew that in that moment, they understood each other.

"Shiva?" said Yuffie. "Shiva exists in our world too!"

"Or a version of Shiva," Nanaki murmured, but neither of the girls heeded him.

"Really? That's so bizarre! Maybe she'll recognise you!"

"Maybe," said Yuffie. She swallowed her last piece of toast and gulped down her drink, before wiping her mouth. "Let's try it!"

Their breakfast finished, both Selphie and Yuffie stood up.

"We shouldn't use any magic in the cafeteria," said Selphie. "I'll show you the draw point – outside."

"Draw point?" Nanaki asked.

"You'll see. Follow me!"

* * *

They walked down the white steps, stopping within sight of the front gate. Bands of gold and pink stretched across the lightening sky, but the shadows were thick. Yuffie shivered a little in the crisp air.

"Here it is!" Selphie bent down next to the low wall which separated the dewy grass from the steps.

Hugging her body to keep herself warm, Yuffie crouched down too, with Red XIII at her shoulder. She squinted.

"I don't see anything."

"Right here, look." Selphie reached out her hand. A surge of pale pink light flared up her arm, dispersing the shadows for a second. Both Yuffie and Red recoiled in shock.

"Ugh, that stinks!" said Yuffie.

Red was backing away, his hackles raised. The acrid stench was vile to her – she couldn't imagine how much worse it must be for him with his sensitive nose. But she could see the draw point now, still faintly sparkling, like a pink fountain. Curiously, she reached out her hand…

"Don't touch it!"

Yuffie dropped her hand to her knee, startled. "Why not?"

"It'll burn. That stuff is like Mako."

Selphie looked at them both, bewildered. "Mako?"

"What do you mean, Mako? It looks nothing like Mako!" Yuffie got to her feet and glared down at Red XIII. "It doesn't even smell like Mako and you ought to know!"

"I said _like_ Mako," said Red patiently. "Clearly this world has its own Lifestream. The spirit energy in this draw point must be a source of magic."

Yuffie wasn't stupid. She had a good idea of what the implications of Red's theory were. But she was annoyed that her attempt to use magic had once again been thwarted, so she answered sullenly, "So?"

"So it's alien to us. You can't draw on alien spirit energy."

"Do you mean our magic is like incompatible or something?" Selphie asked, her brow still furrowed.

Red nodded.

Sighing, Yuffie got up and backed away from the stench of the draw point. She felt deflated, crushed, and the sense of how much she missed home, the world where she truly belonged, returned to her. She sucked in a breath, and then held it, suddenly aware that she was breathing in alien air. Everything was _different_, in ways she didn't know how to articulate – it was the essence of all the life around her. Red looked at her, and for once he was the only creature who seemed right to her eyes. They were made of the same stuff in a way that Selphie, human though she might be, wasn't.

"Look!" said Selphie.

Startled, Yuffie tore her eyes away from Red, over towards the gate where Selphie was pointing. A short figure was jogging up the steps, dragging another figure in tow.

"Zell!"

Selphie rushed forward to greet the newcomer. Yuffie and Red hung back curiously. Zell grinned, contorting the tattoo which covered one half of his face.

"I'm back, baby!" His gloved hands shook the arm of the other man, a soldier dressed in the familiar blue Galbadian uniform. "Look who I captured, trying to sneak in!"

Selphie stopped short as she regarded the prisoner.

"No, sir, I wasn't trying to sneak in, I swear!" the prisoner protested.

_That voice_, thought Yuffie. _It sounds familiar…_

"I'm gonna take him to Squall," said Zell, puffing up his chest importantly.

"Wait!" said the prisoner. "Yuffie – it's me, Wedge! I've got something important to tell you."

* * *

As soon as Zell and Selphie had reported to him, Squall called a hasty meeting with Cloud in his office. Cloud looked more excited than he had ever seen him, as they listened to Wedge's story.

"An abandoned missile base…" said Cloud. "How long will it take to get there?"

"There are no trains that go that way now," Squall replied. "If you drive, it'll take about four or five hours. You'll have to go prepared – we can have vehicles ready for you in a couple of hours."

But Wedge was shaking his head. "There's no time. If you want to get home, you have to go to the missile base straight away!"

Cloud had been pacing around; he now stopped to face Wedge. "Why?"

"Because of what Kelling's planning to do…" He explained the situation. Cloud's face became grave. He turned to Squall.

"We have to stop him."

Squall nodded. "If we don't get to the portal before Kelling brings through more people from your side, this whole mess will become even worse."

"But can we get there in time?"

Squall hesitated for a moment before making his mind up. He nodded again and picked up the phone on his desk. "Go and collect everyone," he said to Cloud. "Tell them to meet me on the bridge immediately." He pressed the call button.

Xu answered at once. "Yes?"

"Xu, I want you and everyone assigned to the other world mission on the bridge right now. We have a destination in sight and we're good to go. Prepare Garden for departure."

* * *

"You're going to like this," Selphie promised.

Tifa smiled as they stepped out of the elevator. Their group was so big they'd had to take it in turns. First Zell and Xu had gone up to the bridge with Vincent, Red XIII, Wedge and a rather less than well-presented Irvine, who had been dragged out of bed by Xu. Then Selphie led the next group, which consisted of Cloud, Yuffie, Seifer and Tifa herself.

They were on the second floor, which was as high as Tifa had been. But Selphie took them straight past the door which led into Squall's office. They reached the end of the corridor – seemingly a dead end, but for the square platform which Selphie hopped onto. She indicated for them to do the same, and then with a whirring noise, the platform moved upwards.

Tifa was unprepared for the sight which met her. They had emerged into open air – she squinted as her eyes adjusted to the sudden change in light. The sun's brilliant rays shone down from a vivid blue sky. A fresh gust of wind blew into her face, refreshing after the close atmosphere inside the elevator. They were on a large platform – the bridge, on the very top of Balamb Garden. A man in a SeeD uniform stood by what seemed to be a control panel, in the centre of which was a very long lever. Squall was conversing with him in a low voice.

Meanwhile, the others were all looking over the edge of the wide platform, transfixed by the view. Tifa leaned against the white railing to see for herself. Beneath the curve of that bluest of skies lay the land: rolling fields, flat plains, a haze of green. And in the distance, a faint blue sparkle she thought was the sea.

Next to her, Rinoa turned and smiled. Her face seemed transported, cheeks flushed and her hair blowing about in the wind. "Don't you feel like you can fly?"

Tifa gazed at that sparkle, feeling irresistibly drawn towards it. "Yes."

"Attention!"

Xu's sharp voice broke off their conversation. She was speaking into an intercom which magnified her voice.

"All Balamb Garden students, staff and faculty: Commander Squall Leonhart is about to make a very important announcement. Please listen carefully and pass this message on to any members who cannot hear this right now." She paused, looking at Squall, before handing him the intercom.

"Hello there…" said Squall awkwardly. He didn't seem the type to enjoy making long speeches, Tifa thought. He looked rather uncomfortable. But as he went on, he seemed to get into his stride. "This is Squall speaking. As you may know, we've recently had foreign visitors to Balamb Garden. They would very much like to go home. And we're going to take them home. That's why, in five minutes, we'll be taking off. Garden is going to leave Caraway City a day earlier than planned. If you know anyone who has used their time off to go into the city, please let them know. Don't worry. We'll come back tomorrow to collect everyone. Meanwhile, please do not under any circumstances attempt to leave Garden. All flight rules apply. Our destination is the abandoned missile base in the Galbadian desert. SeeDs will be despatched around the Garden perimeter to protect us from possible hostile forces. The rest of you, please stay inside the building. You will not be permitted to go outside once we arrive. Our stay should be brief. Classes will go on as normal. That's all." He switched off the intercom.

There was a pause as this sunk in.

"We're taking off?" said Tifa.

Squall nodded. He turned to the man beside him. "Nida, are you ready?"

"Ready to go, sir."

They all felt the slight judder. Tifa grabbed for the railing and looked down, her heart beating fast. Below her, the glowing ring which surrounded Balamb Garden had begun to spin. An excited murmur arose from her friends. Wedge was standing with his mouth agape. She could hear a faint whistling as the speed of the ring increased – the whole building felt poised, ready to move. And Nida was ready to start the acceleration…

Rinoa went back to stand with Squall and Cloud took her place next to her. They looked at each other with identical expressions and she felt a thrill of exhilaration. It was like being on the Highwind when they had first flown on it – high, high into the sky, so high that she felt that she could escape from the Shinra-stained world altogether. But the sheer scale of this moving academy was something she had never imagined.

Above the babble and the rising noise of the concentric rings, Yuffie's voice rang out.

"This thing _moves_? Oh my gawd! I heard it, but I didn't actually _believe_ it-"

She shrieked in mid-sentence as the entire bridge shook, throwing them all off-balance. Tifa stumbled against Cloud, who caught her, and she leaned against his shoulder. Nida heaved his whole body forward to push the lever, and slowly, like a gigantic behemoth, Balamb Garden began to move.

The others were talking – Squall giving instructions to Nida, Selphie chattering excitedly, Seifer attempting to reason with Yuffie – but the rising wind whipped away their words before she could hear them. She and Cloud leaned against each other, feeling their hearts beat as one, looking out to the horizon. They were gaining speed, the land rushing below in a miasma of shadow and light.

"It's so beautiful," said Tifa. She felt like they were antelopes galloping across the plain, so swiftly and lightly did Garden glide.

"We're flying home," said Cloud. For a moment, they were encapsulated in a world of their own: two birds in a bright blue sky, the wind carrying them home.

Reality had its way of puncturing holes in her imagination, however, as Yuffie brought her back to earth with a groan. "I'm gonna puke!"


	27. Kidnapped

**27**

** Kidnapped**

"You're going to regret this," said Denzel.

Piet took no notice, instead bending down to tighten the ropes binding Denzel's hands. Denzel winced as the rough cord scraped against his skin, but his expression remained defiant.

"I mean it. When Cloud comes, he'll chop off your head."

"You know, screaming for help might work better than empty threats." Piet drew out a gun from the holster at his hip. He pressed the barrel lightly against Denzel's head. "Of course, keeping quiet might be the wisest option of all."

Denzel gulped. "Coward," he choked out.

"A gag it is, then." Piet got up, the floorboards creaking slightly beneath his boots. They were in the bedroom of an inn – a dismal place with no clean furniture to speak of. He had woken up on the sagging bed, tied up, his head resting on the dirty pillow. His panicked wriggling had alerted his kidnapper, who came over to check on him. But when Denzel recognised his adversary's face, his fear melted away, to be replaced by anger.

"Murdering scumbag," Denzel spat, as Piet searched around for a scrap of cloth with which to gag him. "I know you murdered that other prisoner. He couldn't fight back either."

"Which is the best way to kill someone," said Piet. "Minimum risk, very little fuss." He had pulled out a long, thick sock from a drawer. "Now, be a good boy and keep quiet."

"You know where Cloud is, don't you?" said Denzel. "That's why you've kidnapped me. Because you're _scared_. You don't have the guts to fight him yourself – you're hiding away-"

"That's quite enough of _that_," said Piet. Kneeling down, he shoved the sock into Denzel's mouth, cutting him off. Denzel choked – the thick material tasted horrible. He rolled back his head and shoulders, hoping to dislodge it, but Piet gagged him firmly. He hacked and coughed, trying to spit out the fibres. Piet stood back and watched him gyp dispassionately. Finally, Denzel managed to concentrate on breathing through his nose. He rested his head back on the pillow, his chest heaving, feeling sick to his stomach.

"That's it, rest," said Piet.

Denzel stared back at him, wide-eyed. Unable to voice his defiance, he felt more helpless than ever. He was completely under his captor's power and that realisation made him afraid. He felt himself thinking, _please don't hurt me_, and hated himself for thinking it.

Piet regarded him for another moment, his eyes darting over the ropes across Denzel's body. Seemingly satisfied, he turned and left without a second glance. Denzel slumped back, glad that the pain was over at least for a little while. In his mind, he ran through wild scenarios and escape plans to distract himself from his discomfort, but all the while a central question lurked at the back of his thoughts: What would Cloud do?

_Cloud wouldn't get into this situation in the first place. _

He squeezed his eyes shut, ashamed at the tears which trickled from them. But he couldn't help it; he was just a child, not a hero, and children cried.

* * *

The bridge was too crowded for them all to stay there for long and besides, they needed to prepare for what lay ahead.

"We'll meet at the front gate when Garden arrives," Squall had instructed them. But that wouldn't be for a few hours yet.

Tifa deliberately fell behind as her friends headed towards the elevator. Cloud turned and gave her a questioning look, to which she replied, "I want to talk to Wedge. Do you mind if I join you later?"

He shrugged, which she took as a yes. Turning to Wedge, who had come down with them, she took his arm. "There's something I want to show you."

She led him to the balcony which Rinoa had taken her to before. The smell of honeysuckle surrounded them. Ivy crept up the wall behind them – how strange and wonderful, she thought, that Balamb Garden really was a moving garden. The view in front of them was not quite as awe-inspiring as the view from the bridge, but it was pretty amazing nonetheless.

She leaned with her back against the balcony wall and beckoned Wedge, who was standing there looking tongue-tied.

"Don't you want to see?"

"Y-yes, ma'am," said Wedge, stumbling over. "It's lovely." He wasn't looking down at the plains though, he was looking at her. _His eyes look tired_, she thought. But his face crinkled into a smile.

She smiled back. "Call me Tifa."

"Right, ma'am. I mean, Tifa."

"I didn't know if I would see you again," she said softly.

"Me neither. I'm glad I have though."

"I should be grateful to you. This is the second time you've saved us. We couldn't have done anything without your help."

Wedge blushed. "Th-thank you."

* * *

A kid. Biggs' stomach clenched in revulsion. He'd kidnapped a kid. It was the boy Piet had talked about before, Denzel, the one who had discovered his hideout. He was skinny and frail-looking, even more so tied to the bed, bound and gagged. Biggs averted his eyes.

Kelling and Piet had called him in here, along with Hawkson, to discuss their plans. Piet was wearing the same dark clothes and gloves he had worn the night before; he looked ready to go somewhere. Which, from the sounds of it, was what he was about to do.

"I'll take the boy with me," said Piet. "He should be useful as leverage if his parents find us."

"All right," said Kelling. "Tell Holt to make sure the portal is ready. Stay there until we come back through. We'll give the Turks a day or so to sweat before returning to make any demands."

"Yes, sir. What about Cloud and the SeeDs? They'll be after you."

Kelling sighed. "With any luck, they won't find us. But if they do… you know what to do." He turned to Biggs and Hawkson, who were standing by the door. "Meanwhile… you two had better prepare. We're going to meet Rufus Shinra again and he won't be all that friendly."

* * *

Tifa and Wedge walked through the foyer in companionable silence. Tifa looked around, marvelling at how she couldn't even tell that Balamb Garden was moving. Everything was as serene as ever, the greenery by the walkway still, a few students walking around chatting to each other. A familiar figure caught her attention. Selphie ran up to them, grinning.

"Hey, guys! Have you seen Irvine?"

"No," said Tifa. "I thought he was with you."

"He was, but then he took off by himself." She shrugged. "Well, I'll see him sooner or later. What are you guys doing?"

"I wanted to thank Wedge for his help."

"Oh, yeah!" Selphie stepped forward and shook Wedge's hand enthusiastically. "You're one in a million, Wedge!"

"I – I just wanted to help," he stammered.

"Aw." Selphie grinned at them. "He's so sweet, like a puppy. Anyway, I'd better get ready! See you later!"

She ran off. Wedge stared after her, an odd look on his face which Tifa didn't understand.

"What is it?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I… I don't think she remembers me. We've encountered each other before, a year ago, when I was still in the Galbadian army."

"Really? No one's said anything."

"I don't think any of them recognised me. Maybe they've fought so many battles, they don't remember."

"I know that feeling."

"Did you fight a lot in your world?"

She nodded. "We had to. Well… I suppose we didn't have to, but we chose to. We fought against Shinra. We thought we were doing the right thing, but… We – I did a lot of things I'm not proud of."

She fell silent, the long submerged guilt rising inside her again. Maybe it was because she knew Wedge was a soldier and she had killed a lot of people like him, not stopping to think if they had families or friends – or if she did, she quickly justified her actions to herself – there were bigger things to worry about, the whole Planet was at stake; these soldiers were just collateral damage. She didn't know why Wedge would help someone like her.

The atmosphere was becoming awkward. She cleared her throat and smiled. "Well, that's all in the past. We're all on the same side now – that's what counts. I should go and get ready too."

Wedge nodded. She touched him lightly on the arm before heading to her room, her thoughts already straying ahead to the portal and what lay beyond it.

* * *

Denzel woke up with his head pounding. Pain – metal – red light – voices. Hands and legs still bound. No ill-kept inn this time though – instead a hard floor and metal terminals and circuits and pipes and the swishing movements of blood-stained lab coats. Denzel breathed in raggedly, glad that he was no longer gagged. He blinked several times before he adjusted himself to his surroundings and the voices became understandable.

"Why didn't you chase after him?" Piet's voice, the only horribly familiar thing in a room full of shadows.

"We couldn't. He took one of the trucks and sabotaged the other. We're stuck here." A second, trembling voice.

Dull black shoes paced towards him, a lab coat flapping around skinny legs. Denzel looked up as the man knelt down – a bland-faced, pallid-skinned shadow of a man with thinning hair. "He's awake."

"What?" Piet strode over, dark and imposing, and Denzel shivered instinctively. "You didn't inject him, did you?"

"No."

"He woke up _very_ fast."

"Age, perhaps. Younger, more adaptable-"

"All right, I don't need your theories. Leave him."

The two pairs of legs walked away, but not far. They joined a third – the other man Piet had been speaking to, who was also wearing a lab coat. Behind them was a mass of computer screens, some of them black, others flashing numbers and figures. Denzel was sitting on one side of the room, his back against a cold hard surface. On the far side, next to a tangle of wiring and machinery, stood a metal arch. Its clear, defined curve was the only thing which stood out in sharp focus. And Denzel remembered those last few blurred moments before he had woken up: Piet deciding to take him with him, a moment when all eyes were on him but nothing was happening and he felt confused, and then – nothing.

This was the other world, the world Piet came from. The world his parents had been taken to.

"If he deserted, where would he have gone?"

Piet was still talking. Denzel immediately concentrated, trying to hear their conversation over the whirring and humming of the machines. He might hear something useful, something that would tell him about his parents.

"Home?"

"Don't be ridiculous. He knows we'd catch up with him eventually. You're supposed to be intelligent – why don't you think?"

"Because I've had it up to my neck trying to recalibrate the machine's co-ordinates!" the scientist snapped. "That thing is far more complicated than your mind could possibly comprehend! I don't have the time to think about a missing soldier. Isn't that supposed to be _your_ forte?"

"You're right," said Piet. "It's a good thing I'm here to take charge. How long ago was he reported missing?"

"Late last night."

"You may be right, Holt, and perhaps he's just deserted. But he knows where we are and that makes him dangerous. What if he's gone to Caraway, hmm? Or to Balamb Garden? They could be on their way right now."

"Then what do we do? We can't run away…"

"We prepare to defend ourselves," said Piet grimly.

* * *

"How long?" Squall asked.

"We should be in sight of the missile base very soon, sir," Nida replied.

"Good."

The terrain below had gradually changed. They had skimmed over a glassy blue lake before the lush green plains gave way to scrubland. He turned away from the sight as he heard the whirring of the platform which announced somebody's arrival.

That somebody was Vincent. Squall frowned. _What's he doing here? I've never seen him away from the others._

Vincent's voice sounded as deep and windswept as his dark red cloak. "Squall. I have a message. Everyone's ready."

_Succinct_, he thought. No one could ever accuse him of not getting to the point.

"Tell them to meet at the front gate," he said.

Vincent nodded. "It's good of you to help us."

That surprised him. Not the fact itself, because he'd calculated the cost of this little trip with Xu and they were being _very_ generous, but that Vincent had expressed it. He looked too cold to have feelings. _Then again, people say the same about me._

"Sir!" said Nida excitedly. "Sir, I can see the missile base! We're almost there!"

Balamb Garden was already beginning to slow down as Nida expertly piloted the giant craft.

"On second thought," said Squall, "I'll tell them." And he picked up the microphone to make the announcement.

* * *

The two scientists ignored Denzel, concentrating completely on the screens in front of them. They muttered incomprehensible things to each other about co-ordinates and dimensional hook-ups and parallel shifting. Eventually, he stopped even trying to listen. Piet watched them from beside the arch, his eyes half-closed. At regular intervals, soldiers entered the room to report to him. There was only ever one soldier at a time, but because their uniforms were identical, Denzel couldn't tell if it was the same one or a number of different individuals. It seemed that they were keeping watch for something.

At one point, Piet strode over to his side of the room and Denzel tensed, but again, he was ignored. Piet walked up to an unused terminal, reached out his hand, and for a moment a flare of pink light illuminated the air around him. _Magic_, Denzel thought. Yet it seemed to have no discernable effect.

Holt looked up briefly. "I didn't know that was there. What is it?"

"You wouldn't be able to see it," said Piet. "Protect. Might come in handy."

That was the moment when a soldier burst into the room to sound the alarm. "It's coming! Balamb Garden! I saw it on the horizon, sir – huge, spinning ring – it'll crush us, sir!"

Excitement stirred Denzel's heart. Whatever Balamb Garden was, if the people on it were enemies of Piet and his cronies, that made them friends as far as he was concerned. Both scientists paused in their work to stare at each other, white-faced. The soldier was trembling.

"Calm down!" said Piet. "They won't crush us. They'll stop before they reach us, I guarantee it. It's the portal they want."

"But it's _Balamb Garden_!" said the soldier. "Do you have any idea how many fighters they have there?"

"A lot," said Piet, "but I'm an ex-SeeD, I know how they work. It's not usual SeeD strategy to send out large numbers. They prefer to work in small groups. As long as we're inside the building, we're safe. They can't risk destroying it. We may be outnumbered, but on that count we have the advantage. They'll have to come out in the open and we'll pick them off from there. Get the others – tell them to seal off all the exits and guard them. What magic do you have?"

"Only grade one fire and sleep spells, sir."

"Use sleep if you can, but not fire. I'll come round and cast Protect on you. Whatever you do, don't move from your posts!"

"What about you, sir?"

Piet tapped his head with a finger. "I've got _this_. I suppose you've heard of GFs, Rook?"

The soldier nodded. "They say they're devastating! They say that SeeD specialists use them to wipe out armies!"

Piet smiled coldly. "Exactly. Now go, quickly!"

After the soldier had left, both scientists stepped forward anxiously.

"Won't they have GFs too?" Holt asked.

"Yes. But I'll make sure they can't use them. Is the machine ready? Will it work?"

"Yes. Almost."

"Good. Stay in here. Keep the child here too; we can use him as a last resort."

"Can you really stop them?" Holt asked.

"I can slow them down. That should be enough for Kelling to get here." Piet turned, about to leave.

"Piet!" Denzel called.

Slowly, Piet turned his cold gaze on Denzel. Somehow he looked even more frightening, as though the aura of menace around him had amplified since he had returned to his own world.

"What's a GF?" Denzel asked. "Who's after you? Is it my parents?"

Piet laughed and shook his head – not to mean no, he could tell, but a refusal to answer his questions. His kidnapper spun on his heel and left by the same door as the soldier. Denzel was left with the inevitable feeling of an impending battle, one involving unknown forces. _It has to be Cloud_, he thought. _I can't let them use me to stop him! They can kill me first._ But even as this foolish thought occurred to him, his heart quailed away from it.

* * *

Balamb Garden had stopped. As the dust blown up by the spinning ring settled, the abandoned missile base came into view. Squall shielded his eyes against the sun, squinting. This was as close as they could probably get without hovering right over the building – the distance was that of two large sports fields, a gap wide enough for them to easily spot any oncoming attackers and prepare for them. Of course, the opposite also applied – whoever was inside that building had undoubtedly seen them coming some time ago. No one had emerged. Selphie had assured him that no short range missiles could have survived the destruction of the base over a year before. It had been partially rebuilt under Seifer's orders, but after the war the facility had been left unfinished. He hoped she was right.

Turning his back on the missile base, Squall regarded the assorted group by the gate. Each one of them looked dangerous in their own way, weapons glinting in the sunlight, expressions determined or excited, movements restless. Yuffie in particular was almost dancing with pent-up energy, her beady eyes willing him to say something.

Squall cleared his throat. "All right, this is it. Xu, you're in charge of the perimeter defence. Keep one patrol outside the gates to watch for trouble and station guards at every possible exit."

"Yes, sir."

"I'm going to the base with Cloud and everyone from his world," Squall continued. "All the other SeeDs will stay here to help with Garden's defence. Zell, if we need back-up, you know the signal."

Zell nodded, punching one fist against his hand. "Gotcha!"

Rinoa stepped forward, her chin held high. She was holding her blaster edge, Shooting Star, and almost sparkling with magic. "I'm coming too."

He said nothing, only looked at her, resigned. She had made her decision. To his surprise, somebody else voiced their concern.

"Are you sure you want to come?" Tifa asked. "These are the people who want to kill you."

Rinoa snapped the holding mechanism into place, securing her weapon to her arm. She looked up, her eyes determined. "You haven't seen me in battle."

"Well, then," said Seifer. "Are we going to kick some ass now, Commander?"

"We need you for defence," said Squall.

"No, you said you needed SeeDs for defence. I'm not a SeeD yet. And waiting around doesn't exactly play to my strengths – you know that."

He had a point. Squall shrugged. "All right. Let's go."

* * *

The red-haired Turk, Reno, led them up the stairs. He looked back, clicking his tongue.

"Got any last words before we go in?"

"Last words?"

Reno jerked his head towards the door. "There's a man with a gun for an arm in there and he says he's got a bullet with your name on it. Not to worry you or anything. Turks are almost as good at guarding as we are at killing."

"What are you talking about?" Biggs growled. Kelling looked shaken, and he felt a little braver than his boss with the weight of his machine gun at his hip.

"I'm saying not everyone's gonna be friendly, you get me?" Reno drawled. "Rufus is generous enough to give you the benefit of the doubt, but our gun-toting friend Barret is kinda hot-headed."

"What's he doing here?" Kelling asked. "We came to negotiate peacefully."

"Don't worry. Rufus has everything under control."

The way he said it, flat and unconcerned, did not reassure Biggs.

"Still want to go in?" Reno asked.

"Yes."

"S'your funeral."

He pushed open the door and they walked into the same chamber Shinra had met them in before. Biggs scanned the area quickly. There was Shinra, behind his desk, with his Turks flanking him. But this time the ex-President had a few extra guests: a bearded man in a pressed blue suit, a blond man carrying a spear as though it was a toothpick, chewing tobacco at the corner of his mouth, and finally, another man Biggs knew instantly to be Barret – huge, holding what looked more like a cannon than a gun where his right arm ought to be, and wearing an extremely pissed off expression.

Barret started forwards at once. "You no-good kidnapping scum!" he roared. "You bastards better make sure my friends come back safe, or there won't be _shit_ left in this place when I'm done wit' you!"

Reno had a metal rod in his hand at once, which he brought up in front of Barret's face. Biggs decided to let the Turk handle it. He certainly wouldn't like to face that hulking mass of muscle and metal.

"Now, now," said Reno easily. "Calm down."

"Get outta my way, Turk!"

Reno looked like a skinny kid next to Barret, but he stood his ground. From behind them, Rufus Shinra spoke.

"Stand back, Barret, or I'll have to forcibly restrain you."

"Hmph."

There was a strained silence for a moment, which the blond man interrupted by spitting out a piece of tobacco on to the pristine carpet.

"Come on, Barret," he said, "let's hear what they gotta say."

Still growling and muttering under his breath, Barret allowed himself to be pulled back by his companions. Biggs exhaled in relief.

"Sorry about that," said Shinra pleasantly. "Now, let's talk."

* * *

They fanned out as they approached the building. Squall and Rinoa were in the centre, leading the way. Cloud strode on his right. He felt the familiar weight of his sword on his back, and Tifa's strong presence next to him. They were both hardened and ready for battle.

"It looks empty," Tifa murmured.

She was right. The place was silent, looking every bit as abandoned as it was supposed to. He could see an entrance before them, a metal door, but he would be willing to bet that they wouldn't be able to just stroll in.

"I could summon," said Rinoa. "Eden could devour this place."

"No," said Squall, "Eden is too powerful. It would destroy everything, including the portal."

"Wait!"

Startled, Cloud looked up, pinpointing the source of the noise. There. On the roof. They all stepped back, craning their heads to squint at the figure outlined by the sun.

"Piet," Tifa breathed.

Piet was standing on the flat roof of the main building, leaning against a large chimney. He looked just the same as Cloud remembered: a shady figure in a long coat, a wide-brimmed hat and gloves. Vincent already had his gun trained on him, ready to shoot, and several others had drawn their weapons too. Cloud glanced at Vincent and shook his head slightly; their eyes met, and Vincent nodded, understanding.

Piet had raised his arms above his head. "Please, lower your weapons!" he called. "I know what you want! We can negotiate."

"There'll be no negotiation," said Squall firmly. "Surrender, or we'll kill you."

"So eager to fight, Commander? We'll kill a few of yours before Garden crushes us. Is that what you want? Wouldn't a truce be preferable?"

Cloud looked at Squall, immovable, inflexible. He knew the Commander of SeeD and Balamb Garden would not listen; Squall had been trained to show no mercy all his life, to accept any casualties as the inevitable consequence of battle. But it was _his_ friends facing Piet right now, and it was his home that was at stake. He could not bear to lose any of them.

"What kind of truce?" he called, before Squall could reply.

Piet's gaze flicked over to him. "Cloud. You want to go home, right? And frankly, it would be better for both of us if you were back in your own world again. We'll take you through, if the bloodthirsty Commander here promises to retreat and leave us alone unharmed."

"How do we know you won't kill us as soon as we go inside?" Cloud asked.

"You'll just have to trust me on that one."

A couple of his friends let out snorts of disbelief. Squall was shaking his head.

"We can't take that offer," he said. "SeeD are here to arrest Kelling. We won't retreat until he's in our hands."

"I can't let you do that," said Piet.

"I'm warning you," said Squall. "I have many SeeDs ready to back us up at my command. We know you're outnumbered. We'll take the portal by force if necessary!"

"Fine," Piet answered. "Then try."

* * *

Several minutes later, and about the only useful things Biggs had learned were the names of Shinra's new guests. The tobacco-chewing one was called Cid and the bearded one was called Reeve. None of them could agree. Barret accused Kelling of kidnapping Denzel in a loud voice. Cid joined in, cursing. Kelling affected to know nothing about this so convincingly that even Biggs almost found himself believing him. Reeve, the most softly-spoken of the three, mildly suggested that Denzel might have run off again, causing both Barret and Cid to turn upon him. Biggs got the impression that they had had this argument before. Kelling watched them with a slight smile, and Shinra with impatience.

"Can you be quiet?" he said, but nobody heeded him. Shinra frowned and glanced at his Turks.

"Let me, sir," said Elena at once. She pointed her gun at Barret and barked, "Shut up, or I'll shoot!"

Such was the volume and ferocity of her voice that both Barret and Reeve jumped. Cid snorted, unimpressed.

"Keep ya britches on, girlie."

"_Thank you_," said Shinra. "Enough." He turned to look at Kelling. "I think you've got the picture. Whether or not you have kidnapped Denzel – and we will find out very soon, as Rude is on his way right now to check Seventh Heaven for traces of magical disturbance – there are still at least five people who were forcibly taken from this world."

"They are all alive," said Kelling, "and in our care. We can bring them back."

Shinra raised an eyebrow. "Then do it."

"I will – as soon as we've worked out a deal which benefits both of us."

"Perhaps I haven't made myself clear," said Shinra. "Bring them back, or we'll shoot you."

The words had barely left his lips before a host of weapons were pointed at them. Shinra, his Turks and Reeve all had guns trained on them. Barret raised his heavy gun-arm, Cid lowered his spear, and Reno simply grinned at them, his thumb clicking his baton so that sparks of electricity flew out. Biggs had a machine gun, Hawkson a sword, and Kelling had a gun he barely knew how to use. The odds weren't good.

"Very well," said Kelling. "See this?" He held up a tiny black disc. "This device emits a signal which allows me to instruct my employees at the other end to send your friends through. All I have to do is press it…"

"Give it to me," said Shinra at once.

"…like this."

Several things happened at once. Kelling pressed the button. Reno lunged forward, his weapon crackling. Biggs threw himself in the way, machine gun raised, and the last thing he saw was Reno's surprised face, the marks beneath his eyes like little cuts, before the world flew away.

* * *

Piet raised his hands, his coat flapping in the breeze. Vincent instantly fired a shot, but there was a flash of blue light, and Piet stepped aside behind the chimney, unharmed and out of sight.

"He's protected!" said Squall.

"Something's coming!" Rinoa cried.

She looked up, her eyes wide in dismay. The wind rose, blowing Squall's hair into his face, roaring through his ears. And there was a second, much deeper roaring; a roaring in his blood, the pulse of magic rising around him. Not just any magic. Summon magic.

_But only SeeDs use GFs_, Squall thought wildly, _it can't be a summon, it can't be – all known GFs are registered at Balamb Garden–_

"What is it?" Tifa cried.

They were all craning their necks, weapons raised, following Rinoa's gaze. It did not take long for them to see what she had sensed first. Three bright lights plummeted down from the sky, one red, one blue and one orange. Squall took in a sharp breath and was met with a strong scent of flowers and honey. Like the points on a triangle, the three lights hit the ground: three beacons of magic, blocking the missile base from Squall and his allies.

"Back away!" Squall ordered. His allies obeyed instantly. Weapons raised, they faced this new and mysterious foe. Flowers. The magical energy had formed into the shape of giant flowers – and then, in a burst of colour and scent, the GFs appeared.

_Insects_. That was his first thought upon seeing them – all three of the GFs took humanoid form, but they were also insect-like. The smallest hovered in the air, wings whirring; she looked almost like a human child, but she also had a stripy wasp-like abdomen and a sting in her tail. Another was more like a beetle, large and round, covered in an armoured casing which looked very tough, blue-grey at the front and scarlet like a ladybird's markings at the back. The third placed one hand on her hip; she was the most obviously female of the three, wearing red and green, her head crowned with fake bulbous insect eyes which only added to her already formidable height. Lethal-looking spurs protruded from her elbows; they reminded him of a preying mantis. All three of them had antennae. He had never seen these GFs before. They were an unknown quantity and that made them dangerous.

Thinking quickly, Squall scanned them, and shouted out the information as soon as it was relayed into his mind.

"The Magus Sisters! High level GF. Always three of them – the small one is Mindy, the big one Cindy and the tall one Sandy. They're powerful – argh!" He cried out, reflexively grabbing his head. It felt as though someone had taken a large splinter of wood and driven it into his brain. The scan spell vanished.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Cloud demanded.

For a moment, he couldn't answer; the pain was too much. He noticed that both Rinoa and Seifer had clapped their hands to their heads too, obviously suffering the same effects.

"Magic," Rinoa gasped. "My head…"

He tried to reach out for Esuna, but was met only by pain. "They've cut it off," he said, realising. "They've blocked all our magic."

Sandy cocked her head on one side, her white face seeming to smile at them. Then, as one, all the GFs moved. Sandy leapt forward, momentarily revealing a pair of insect-like wings. Mindy flew to the left – his left, her right – and she did so in a blur of movement, so fast his eyes barely registered it. Cindy, the heaviest, leapt to the right. He felt the ground shudder as she crashed back down. Unsteadied, he didn't react as quickly as he should have done. He stood, swaying for a moment, mind still reeling from his spells being cut off.

"Come on!" Cloud cried. Everyone from Cloud's world, unaffected by the anti-magic field, threw themselves forward. Cloud charged at Sandy, followed by Tifa. Yuffie threw her shuriken at Cindy, Vincent shot at her, and Red XIII leapt for Mindy with a growl, his tail sparking fire. It all happened in a second; his wits recovered, Squall was about to charge forward too, but there was a flash of light and all his allies were flung backwards, repelled by an invisible force. Vincent's bullet rebounded and ricocheted off Seifer's gunblade with a metallic ping before disappearing into the sky.

Red XIII had landed at his feet. He was lying on his side, his flanks rising up and down as he breathed. The others were already picking themselves up. Rinoa knelt down.

"Are you all right?"

"We need to protect him," said Squall, assessing the situation. The tang of magic was growing in the air, strong enough for him to see it now: a triangle of energy, trapping them. "Everyone, form a circle! Get back!"

They scrambled into place, a tight circle facing outwards, with Red XIII in the centre. Flanking Squall on his left was Rinoa, and on his right Cloud.

Cloud looked at him. "It's some kind of barrier. We can't escape."

"The Sisters are preparing their attack," replied Squall. "We can't block it."

"Then what do we do?"

"Endure it."

Then, abruptly, the world vanished. They had been plunged into the other realm, the world of the GF. This was a world of magic; they were floating in the blackness of space, encased by a pyramid of energy, the Sisters forming each point of the triangle. The only firm thing they had was each other. Rinoa automatically reached for Squall. They crouched down together and he put his arms around her to shield her as best he could. Her cheek pressed against his chest. He could feel his heart beating fast – still alive, still mortal.

Quickly glancing back, he saw that Cloud and Tifa had done the same, and Seifer was holding Yuffie as she whimpered, "I have a feeling this is gonna hurt." Only Vincent remained standing, stoic and aloof.

The magic rained down on them. He squeezed his eyelids shut. There was that childhood feeling, coming back to him – that if you closed your eyes, maybe the danger would go away, because you couldn't see it. But the light seared through his eyelids, and it burned, it burned so much, like a succession of flares scorching him. It was like a car crash, like an explosion, like a thousand needles piercing his body. All he could think was, _keep hold of Rinoa_, but the fifth time his head fractured, even this thought left him, and he fell into blessed darkness.


	28. An Ex SeeD

**28**

**An Ex-SeeD**

The world burst into colour and noise: bright sky, gusting wind, residual sparks of magic fading around him. The pain had gone.

A face appeared, the forehead creased. "Quick," said Rinoa, "can you get up?"

She tugged at Squall's arm. He felt everything vividly; the precise imprint of every finger, the way they pressed into his skin, the fabric of his jacket stretching in response to opposing forces. The solid ground supported him. A strand of long grass tickled his cheek. He inhaled, and smelt the pollen-laden air, the crackling after-scent of magic, the sweat of his own body. One breath was all it took to rejuvenate him. Muscles contracted, forces shifted, and Squall stood up at once with easy grace.

"Elixir?"

"I used the last one on you. They're-"

Rinoa shrieked as Squall pulled her swiftly back, and a flying blur missed her by inches, buzzing furiously. He lashed out with his blade, but Mindy had already shot past them.

"We need to regroup," Squall panted, looking around. In his hyper-aware state, each movement leapt out with piercing clarity. The elixir was burning through his bloodstream. It gave life, but at a cost: this high was only temporary and the low that followed it would be slow, painful and take a long time to recover from. For now, it was what he needed. He saw Sandy battling Cloud and Seifer. Seifer didn't look good; he had only just been healed like Squall and he stumbled back under a flurry of blows before Cloud leapt in and cut only air as Sandy jumped back gracefully and launched fiery scythes at him, which Cloud blocked–

Tifa was bent down near him, about to tend to Red XIII, but Yuffie shrieked, "Watch out!" and she rolled away, narrowly missing being impaled by a flurry of needles from Mindy's sting. The needles sank into Red XIII and the ground around him instead, like a cloud of arrows. Red shuddered, still sprawled on his side, which now resembled a pincushion, before going limp.

"Red!" cried Tifa and Rinoa at the same time. Rinoa began to rush up to Tifa, but at another cry from Yuffie both girls turned, to face the huge rolling mass that was Cindy hurtling towards them. Yuffie screamed and threw her shuriken at the GF, but it glanced off and came spiralling back to her hand.

"Move!" Squall yelled. Rinoa ran back to him at once, but Tifa had raised her fists as though she thought she could halt it and it was only at the last second, with Yuffie screaming her name, that she realised she couldn't. She dived to the side, but a fraction too late; Cindy caught her shoulder a glancing blow, catapulting Tifa twenty feet across the field, where she thudded into the hard ground.

_This is insane_, Squall thought. His instinct was to run over to Tifa, but he didn't even have time for that, because a blizzard spell slammed into his chest, knocking the breath out of him. It had caught Rinoa too; she fell back, gasping. Mindy, the spell caster, dived at him, her wings buzzing furiously and her sting glittering; he rolled aside and stabbed upwards, missing again. She rose up into the sky.

Vincent had a gun. Where was he?

Cloud dashed over to him, ducking another strike from Sandy.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm alive," Squall replied.

"Can you call the others? The signal-"

He shook his head. "Not without magic." The anti-magic field was still pressing upon him, denying him access to his spells, to that part of his mind where his GFs resided.

Sandy fixed her eyes on them. Tall and graceful, she moved with sudden speed, like a preying mantis about to strike. Rinoa fired a shot. It hit the GF's shoulder; Sandy recoiled, and that moment's delay gave Squall and Cloud the chance to attack. Squall dashed in low, Cloud swung his blade at the GF's neck, and Sandy changed her tack at once. She flipped up, crossing both her arms to block Cloud's strike, and flew over Cloud's head to land behind him, dealing a vicious blow to his back.

Cloud lurched forward with a cry. He was defenceless for a moment, his back turned; Sandy drew herself up to finish him off, but another shot from Rinoa hit her in the back, and from the other side Yuffie had let out another scream, her shuriken hurtling towards the GF. Sandy jumped again, wings whirring, and flew away. Yuffie ran up to them, panting.

"I can't believe it! We're gonna get squashed by a bug! I hate bugs!"

Squall looked around again as she spoke. The GFs had them surrounded. Cindy was casting some kind of healing spell on Sandy. Mindy was casting too; a bolt of lightning struck from the clear blue sky, lighting up Seifer's white-coated form. Already limping, he collapsed, limbs twitching, on to the dusty ground. _Three down_, Squall thought. Red XIII hadn't moved. He glanced over towards Tifa, and was relieved to see that she had gotten up, but she was clutching her shoulder, grimacing.

"Tifa!" Cloud cried, starting towards her.

She shook her head. "My shoulder is dislocated."

"Half of us are hurt, and I don't even have any potions," said Yuffie. "This is your fault, Mr Commander!"

_If only we had magic_, Squall thought. _They're too strong._ But there was another way of defeating the GFs…

"I have to get to Piet!" he said. "If we stop Piet, the GFs will vanish."

"But they're blocking the way!" said Rinoa, firing off another shot at Mindy, who dodged, circling next to the building.

"If just one of us can get through…" said Cloud.

Squall nodded.

"All right," said Yuffie, catching on. "Distraction time!"

Squall rattled off orders as quickly as he could, aware that the GFs were all ready to attack again. "Yuffie, take Mindy! Cloud, Sandy! Rinoa – Cindy. I'll make a run for it. Tifa – heal the others. And where the hell is Vincent?"

There was no time to wait for a reply. He and Rinoa dashed towards Cindy, who began stomping towards them. The thin grass beneath his feet gave way to tarmac – Cindy was standing in the very centre, on the road that led into the abandoned missile base. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the others running too, the flash of a blade, the glint of a shuriken, but focus was the key thing now – he had to get past. Rinoa paused to fire at Cindy; he darted to one side, and the GF leapt after him. He slashed wildly at her torso, but drew only sparks as the metal scraped against Cindy's thick armour. Her piggy little eyes glared at him. She bowled into him, flinging him back on to the tarmac. The breath painfully left his body. Just as he was reflecting that this plan wasn't going at all well, he noticed Rinoa running behind Cindy – she had slipped past the GF, she was running on the road towards the base and this wasn't supposed to happen, it was supposed to be him–

"Rinoa!" he yelled.

Cindy hadn't seen her. The GF steadied itself, before leaping high into the air, a torrent of water surrounding her – and the higher she went, Squall knew, the harder she would fall. The prospect of being crushed did not appeal to him. Desperately, he scrambled to his feet just as Cindy was reaching the top of her jump. But she never completed her ascent. Instead, a large dark shape slammed into her.

The pair plummeted, the dark shape on top. He saw ragged wings and a blur of crimson. They hit the tarmac a few feet in front of him, and the dark shape rose up to face him at once. For a moment, Squall could do nothing but stare. It was Vincent. But at the same time, it wasn't Vincent; it was a monster, something horrible and primal. Red eyes glowed in a face that was part man, part demon, and a red cloak flapped around him like an aura of blood. One hand was encased in the familiar golden claw, the other looked human, but horribly deformed, long claws flexing where nails ought to be.

"Vincent?" he said hoarsely.

The Vincent creature snarled, revealing sharp fangs.

"Vincent – what the hell? You can fly – why can't you take out Piet?"

Vincent shrieked as his entire body racked with spasms. One of his wings shrivelled but the claws on his uncovered hand became even more pronounced, curved like a beast's. Cindy sprang up and cuffed him from behind; Vincent snarled and turned at once, throwing himself at the GF. The light in his eyes had been wild, uncomprehending. _He doesn't understand_, Squall realised. _He's out of control_.

But whatever had happened to Vincent, he had given Squall a path to the missile base. Rinoa was already there, about to climb up to the roof and face Piet on her own. Squall's head cleared. He ran towards the base, leaving the battle with the GFs to Cloud and the rest.

* * *

In front of the white gates of Balamb Garden, Wedge narrowed his eyes, peering at the missile base. It was difficult to make out through the heat haze. His heart hammered. They had seen three lights streaking down towards the ground which rapidly became a battlefield. He thought that it was one of the SeeDs summoning a GF to aid them until Zell frowned.

"That's not one of ours!"

Wedge saw, or maybe imagined, tiny figures battling, flashes of spells or blades.

"There's an enemy GF?" he asked.

"Must be."

"Shouldn't we go to help them?"

Xu spoke from behind them. "No. The Commander's orders. We send assistance only when we receive the signal."

"What's the signal?"

"Junction switch," Zell replied. "Squall sends one of his GFs to me; I know it's time to kick some ass. They won't need us anyway. Squall's got GFs so powerful they'd send any other GF running straight back to hell."

He sounded confident, but as the seconds ticked by, there was no sign of any other GF appearing. The battle was becoming confusing, smoke trailing in the air, lightning flashing and figures darting around, at least one of them flying. Wedge's insides tightened and his skin prickled. He recognised the sensations from his time in the army: those stressful hours when he had been forced to stay behind, to hide or watch or hold his position for whatever reason while his comrades-in-arms went into battle. A mixture of feelings bubbled away like acid inside him: fear for his comrades' safety, relief combined with shame that he was not fighting alongside them, and most of all, a burning desire to help his allies, to do _something_. If there was any time in which he ought to resist the temptation to be heroic, Wedge knew this was it – SeeDs were highly capable warriors, of course they didn't need him.

But as he watched the frown on Zell's forehead deepen, he had to bite his lip to stay silent.

* * *

Tifa knelt down by Red XIII. She had three potions left, all taken from Balamb Garden's stock. Her shoulder throbbed, but that didn't matter right now; Red was in a much worse condition. The needles had all vanished, but blood was streaming down his sides from the many tiny punctures. She had detected a pulse by pressing two fingers against the damp fur of his neck. He was still alive, but the light on his tail was fading, like a candle about to go out. He needed help fast.

Grimacing, she took one of the potions and snapped off the top with her teeth. She smelt magic at once. The potion was simply water which had been infused with a basic cure spell. She poured it over his flanks and watched steam rise from his body. Red twitched.

He needed more, and after that there was still Seifer to heal, and herself, and any other injuries that they would undoubtedly suffer. She held the second potion, hesitating.

* * *

Cloud rushed Sandy, but quickly found himself on the defensive as she drove him back, away from the base. He swung at her waist; she blocked him with the spur protruding from her elbow and wrenched the blade upwards. Instead of resisting, he jumped, allowing the momentum to take him high into the air; her spinning kick which would have caught him across the chest instead hit one of his ankles. Sandy completed her turn as he lunged down at her, sword held in both hands like an executioner. She dodged gracefully; his strike missed; instead, he carved a rut in the ground, dust flying up, and his feet thudded into the dirt a moment later. His injured foot crumpled under the impact. Cloud hissed in pain; he got up, limping, leaning on the hilt of his sword for support.

Sandy sidestepped back towards Cloud, a fist aimed at his head, which he barely ducked. She skipped away again – they didn't like to fight at close quarters, these GFs, they would rush in for the attack and then dash away again: lightning strikes that were almost impossible to counter.

Leaning back with his weight on his uninjured foot, Cloud pulled his sword out of the ground with some difficulty. He looked around at once for Sandy. The three GFs had congregated together in front of the base, healing each other. Cloud scowled. What were the others doing? He glanced back to see Tifa and Yuffie helping their wounded friends. _We ought to regroup again_, he thought, _we'll stand a better chance together_. The GFs worked as a team; they needed to do the same. But before Cloud had a chance to act on this thought, a grotesque figure flew over his head.

_Chaos!_

It charged at the GFs with an inhuman scream. The demon Chaos was the most deadly of all Vincent's forms, but Cloud didn't think that even it stood a good chance against all three of the Magus Sisters. But there was nothing he could do, no command that he could shout that would stop Chaos in its madness. Cloud hefted his sword once again and ran to help.

* * *

Yuffie jumped and flipped, but for all her agility, Mindy was faster. They danced over the grass, wings and shuriken whirring, and it really was like having a wasp buzzing around her, Yuffie thought irritably, as she swiped at Mindy's face only to miss yet again.

She stood her ground as Mindy dived at her; instead of throwing her shuriken, she kept it at close quarters, waiting until the last possible moment to lash out. It worked; Mindy braked in the air, but two of the shuriken's points raked across her small body; she lurched back with a disturbingly child-like shriek. It was the first noise any of the Sisters had made. They had otherwise been entirely silent, which was unnerving.

Yuffie didn't let herself be rattled; she followed up her attack by throwing the shuriken again, and caught Mindy's shoulder. The GF retreated, flying back to her sisters.

"Yuffie!"

A hoarse voice was calling her. Heart beating fast, she turned and ran towards it.

Yuffie knelt down by Seifer, who was attempting to pull himself up using his gunblade as a lever. His clothes were scorched, his face smeared with dirt and the arm that had only recently been healed was bleeding again.

"Has Tifa healed you?" Yuffie asked, as she helped him to get up.

"Nah, why help me? Looks like you've both got greater priorities."

"Shut up. I don't have any potions."

She ducked her shoulder under Seifer's, so that one of his arms draped around her neck, and one of her arms held his waist, and in this fashion they hobbled over the ground towards Tifa, Yuffie muttering and cursing under her breath about how heavy he was.

"This isn't – quite – the romantic stroll – I anticipated," Seifer gasped.

"Shut up," she repeated. She kept glancing back over her shoulder, afraid that the Sisters would take advantage of their vulnerability. They had almost reached Tifa, but behind them Sandy had given chase. Gulping, Yuffie increased her pace.

"Tifa!" she yelled. "Tifa, help!"

* * *

As Cloud charged, Sandy leapt forward. He was ready to attack, but she flew over his head, intent upon some other target. That could only be his injured friends, but he couldn't look back, he had to trust that they could look after themselves. Vincent needed him now; he had already been hit by a bolt spell from Mindy, and Cindy was doing her best to crush him. Mindy swooped in to sting the struggling Chaos, but Cloud threw himself in her path and batted her aside with the flat of his blade. Chaos roared and hurled Cindy away, but instead of flying after the GF to finish her off as Cloud would have expected, it sank down, breathing heavily.

"Vincent?"

For the first time, he got a good look at the creature. Chaos was never an image of beauty, but Cloud was horrified at the sight before him. It was as though the demon had forced its way out of Vincent, but hadn't quite managed it: Vincent's face was still recognisable, but the red eyes glowed with demonic light, the pupils slit like a cat's, the nose was deformed, bestial-like, and fangs changed the shape of the mouth, stretching it into a permanent snarl. Its wings were shrivelled, so perhaps it could no longer fly. The creature thrashed; its face contorted, fur spreading over skin, black hair rippling. Cloud understood – it was still trying to transform, the thing was half-Vincent and half-Chaos, and there could be only one reason why the transformation hadn't worked properly, the same reason that none of them had access to their full powers: they were in the wrong world.

Ice exploded above Chaos and the creature snarled, still writhing in pain. Cloud blocked the flying shards with his blade and stood ready, his mouth a grim line. He had no materia. He could not call on the power of the Planet, the Lifestream, in any way. But he had his body, and his sword, and the Mako flowing through his veins. They could not die here, not in this place.

* * *

Tifa heard Yuffie call out, for she turned with a potion bottle already in her hand and threw it without hesitation. Seifer caught it. Yuffie glanced back, just as Sandy unleashed her fiery spurs, which blazed a trail straight for them.

Seifer was tall and heavy, and Yuffie was already close to collapse simply from dragging him around, but the adrenaline shooting through her veins was as good as a Haste spell right then. Dropping her shuriken, she grabbed Seifer with both arms and yanked him away as fast as she could. Sparkling potion flew into the air. The world tumbled over and over, and she crashed into the dirt with Seifer on top of her. Winded, she screwed up her face.

"Ow!"

Seifer's face was inches from hers. He grinned crookedly. "Not quite how I imagined this particular moment either."

He hauled her up.

"The – the potion," Yuffie gasped.

"I got most of it before…" The words died in his mouth. Yuffie had been looking around for her shuriken and Seifer had been scanning the battlefield as well, and they both froze at the same time.

Tifa's prone form was white and still, her head lolling against Red's flanks. Her leather top was smoking, the flesh beneath gouged and burnt. The attack meant for them had hit Tifa instead.

* * *

Denzel licked dry lips. He could taste the tension in the air. Although he strained his ears, no sound filtered through from outside, no signs of battle. There was only the constant humming of the machines and the footsteps of the two scientists as they worked. One of the computers beeped loudly, its screen flashing, and Denzel jumped.

"There it is!" said Holt. "They're coming!"

Denzel watched the figures arrive, one, two, three, four – and with a shock, he recognised that red-blond head, that white suit, as Rufus Shinra appeared out of nowhere, the arch crackling and thrumming behind him. The others were his captors, Kelling, Biggs and Hawkson. They staggered off the dais, the scientists rushing to help them. Shinra had collapsed.

"Get me a glass of water," Kelling rasped, after being injected. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this travelling."

"Sir-"

"And Biggs, Hawkson, tie Shinra up; he can go with the boy."

"Sir, I have to tell you-"

Kelling waved Holt irritably away. "Where's Piet? I want a full report from him."

As he spoke, the two soldiers were obediently dragging Shinra towards Denzel, obscuring his view of the others. Denzel would once have looked upon that face with hatred. But now he felt a strange empathy for the ex-President. They were both prisoners, both alone and helpless.

"He's – he's outside fighting the invaders, sir," said Holt's tremulous voice.

"What?"

"Balamb Garden. They've found us."

Biggs and Hawkson dropped Shinra unceremoniously. Leaving him unrestrained, they both rushed back to their colleagues. The faces that Denzel could now see were terrified.

"We're under attack?" Biggs asked.

Holt nodded.

"Well, don't just stand there, man, tell us what's going on!" Kelling said. "How did they find us?"

"We – we think it was Wedge. He ran off and betrayed us."

Kelling took in a sharp breath. "That little weasel. How many are there, where are all the soldiers, where's Piet?"

"I – I don't know-"

"All guarding the exits," Kyme said, stepping forward. "Piet's orders. Summoned a GF, holding them off."

"He doesn't stand a chance in hell," said Biggs. "SeeDs have their own GFs, they could blast through here whenever they wanted-"

"Enough!" said Kelling. "When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it, Sergeant."

Biggs scowled.

"Piet's been gone a while," said Holt, trembling, "and we haven't seen or heard anything yet…"

Under the cover of their conversation, Denzel tried to wake Rufus Shinra up. He nudged him as hard as he could, but Shinra's body merely slipped a little lower, his head lolling.

"Wake up!" Denzel hissed. "Come on, you've got to help me, wake up!"

One of the soldiers glanced in his direction and he froze at once. Shinra did not stir. Denzel remembered how surprised the scientists had been when he had regained consciousness – they said he had woken up very quickly, and for all he knew, he might have been out for ten minutes or a couple of hours. Shinra would probably be out for longer.

Meanwhile, Kelling was giving orders. "Hawkson, go out and find the others, see what's happening, and report back to me. Tell Piet we're here. Biggs, stay with us."

Hawkson saluted and hurried out of the room. Kelling sat down on the only chair in the room, wiping his brow. He looked over at Denzel and Shinra and snapped, "Why isn't he properly restrained? I thought I ordered you to tie him up."

"Yes, sir."

One of the scientists provided Biggs with a makeshift rope, which looked like it was actually a spare cable. Denzel tried to seem small and insignificant as the big soldier stooped down next to him. To his surprise, Biggs spoke roughly out of the side of his mouth.

"You all right, kid?"

"Y – yeah." He wasn't sure why he said that. It wasn't anywhere near the truth.

"Don't worry. I'll try to get you out of this in one piece."

Denzel looked up at him, but Biggs' face was invisible behind his helmet. Before he could think of how to respond, Biggs had finished knotting the bonds around Shinra's hands and walked off.

* * *

"Tifa!" Yuffie dropped down by her friend and shook her frantically. "Tifa, you've got to be all right, you can't die on me, okay, what about me, what about Cloud, what about Denzel and Marlene?"

Tifa coughed, her eyelids fluttering, and Yuffie almost fainted with relief. "Help," she murmured.

"I want to help, but I haven't got any potions, I used them all up on me and Seifer, remember?" She glanced back nervously. Seifer was standing guard, albeit shakily, trying to hold Sandy off.

"I have," Tifa croaked.

"You have? You've got a potion?" Yuffie didn't wait for an answer. She lightly patted Tifa's clothes, her thieving fingers searching Tifa's pockets. She found it quickly, a small glass vial, enough to heal just one person. But two of her friends were badly hurt. Red was still unconscious, his flanks rising up and down. Tifa's eyes had closed too. They'd used up their entire stock of phoenix downs after the Sisters' first devastating attack, so there was no guarantee that either of her friends would wake up with only a potion to heal them…

"You're taking your time," Seifer bellowed, his voice strained. Startled, she glanced back, as Sandy cuffed Seifer and he stumbled, bleeding again. He wouldn't last much longer.

Making her decision, Yuffie tossed the opened bottle over Tifa, allowing the dormant spell to blossom. She didn't wait to see its effects, but snatched up her shuriken and ran to join Seifer.

He'd managed to blast her away, but had suffered for it; there was a deep gash in his side. Sandy was already getting up a few feet away. She had no injuries that Yuffie could see. Determined to change that, Yuffie threw her shuriken again with all the force she could muster.

"Let's get to Cloud," she said, as it spun towards the GF, "he's up there, look, nearer the base."

"Lead Miss Bug away from the others, I get it."

She nodded, grabbing his hand. "Come on!"

The shuriken hit Sandy, who flinched, and it glanced off at a sharp angle. Yuffie and Seifer raced towards it, towards Cloud and Vincent and the other GFs. Sandy pursued them.

With a shout of triumph, Yuffie let go of Seifer's hand and caught the handle of her shuriken in midair. Another cry followed, but a deeper one, the cry of a man in pain. She turned furiously, brandishing her weapon. Sandy had caught up with Seifer. The GF had struck him in the back; he toppled to the ground, his coat in tatters. The shuriken left Yuffie's hand almost without her realising. It tore across Sandy's face. Sandy screamed, reeling back, the first sound the tallest GF had uttered. But Yuffie didn't hear it; she caught the weapon and bent down to Seifer.

He grinned at her, breathing heavily. "I'm doing great, right?"

"Oh, yeah, amazing," she said, fighting to keep the emotion from her face.

"Squall's got to pass me on this performance…"

"Totally."

"I think I'm out now… no more potions…"

"You'll be okay, everyone will, we'll beat them."

"Just keep those pesky bugs away from me, Yuffie."

She nodded, putting on the most confident smile she could manage. "Gotcha."

She sprang up at once, looking for Sandy. The GF was watching her warily, showing some reluctance to attack for the first time. One of her antennae was bent, the bulbous eye below it crushed and split. Yuffie skipped away from Seifer, in the direction of the base, and her taunts echoed over the desert.

"What's up, huh, you big bug? Can't handle the great ninja Yuffie? 'Fraid you're gonna get squashed? Bring it on!"

She couldn't be sure whether or not it was her words Sandy reacted to, but react the GF did. The dragonfly-like wings flickered, and Sandy launched herself at Yuffie.

* * *

Squall caught up with Rinoa just as she climbed onto the roof. He grabbed her arm, pulling her to a halt.

"Rinoa – don't! Go back!"

"Back to the battle?"

He bit his lip. The GFs below were powerful enemies, but he would not like her to face Piet either… She saw the indecision on his face.

"Let's go," she said, taking his hand. They moved warily across the roof – although it was flat, it was not entirely open; upper floors formed squat towers and tall chimneys barred their way. There were plenty of shadows to lurk in.

Squall swept his gaze from side to side, so he was ready when the shot rang out; he caught the tiny movement in the shadows, and threw himself down instinctively, pulling Rinoa with him.

"There!"

Rinoa fired at the moving shadow. A blue light flared: the protective shield Piet had conjured. Although the shot did not hurt him, the light had revealed his hiding place. He stepped out of it, into the sun. Squall and Rinoa raised their weapons at once, but Piet had chosen his location wisely – he was in the middle of the roof, with the sun shining behind him, while they were on the other side, squinting into it.

"Do you like my GFs?" Piet asked, pointing his gun at them. "They're very lovely, don't you agree?"

"You can't keep them here much longer," said Squall. Garden taught its students to summon GFs for one attack at a time, and one attack only. Tying the ancient spirits to this realm for too long was extremely dangerous.

"Oh, I can. You know it too, or you wouldn't have come up here to kill me."

On the word 'kill', Piet pulled the trigger. It was aimed at Rinoa, not him, and Squall flung himself in front of her with his gunblade raised; she flinched as it ricocheted off the metal.

"Very noble," said Piet. "Just what a good knight would do."

* * *

Vincent had fallen, and Cloud was tired. Alternating between mad attacks and painful attempts at full transformation, the half demon was unusually vulnerable. It had ripped away Mindy's wings, but she had retaliated with a flurry of needles and Cloud had been unable to cover him with Cindy on the attack. Chaos retreated at last, leaving Vincent fully human again, but battered and bloody, lying unconscious under his cloak.

Faced with two of the Sisters at once, it was all Cloud could do to stay alive. Mindy drained the strength out of him, restoring her wings and leaving Cloud feeling as though he had been in ten successive battles rather than just the one. He wanted to make a dash to the building, thinking it might be his last hope, but Cindy and Mindy forced him into retreat. He parried another sledgehammer blow from Cindy, staggering back. Mindy was hovering out of reach, casting spells.

He felt weak, sluggish. Mako-enhanced resilience was not enough.

"Cloud!" a high, female voice shrieked.

"Yuffie!" He sidestepped Cindy, his spirits heightened. Yuffie had brought Sandy with her though; now it was three against two. "Where's Tifa?"

"She's… she's hurt."

He felt as though his insides had shrivelled up and died. He stood back-to-back with Yuffie, a fire spell narrowly missing him.

"And the others?"

"The same. Vincent – is he…?"

"The same."

"Looks like it's just me and you again," Yuffie coughed. "Better show 'em what we're made of, huh?"

He nodded.

The Sisters had them surrounded. They seemed to realise that the battle was coming to an end. They closed in, and Cloud saw, with a flicker of despair, the shimmer of a triangle appear around them.

"We should get help, right?" said Yuffie, false optimism in her voice. "Squall will have called the other SeeDs, they'll be coming..."

"He can't call them without magic," said Cloud quietly.

"Or he'll beat Piet any moment now and the GFs will disappear…"

He put his arm around her shoulder and she clung to him, trembling. There was nothing else he could do. He had no comforting words to give. If he shielded her, took the brunt of the Sisters' attack, as he had done before for Tifa, then maybe Yuffie would survive relatively unscathed, maybe she could flee, get help, bring the full wrath of Balamb Garden upon the missile base…

The magic rose. Together they waited for the blackness to take them.

* * *

Zell scanned the battle through a pair of binoculars.

"Oh, boy…"

"What is it?" Wedge asked nervously. "What do you see?"

"Three GFs… they've got two people surrounded, Cloud and Yuffie, I think… The others are down, but I can't see Squall or Rinoa at all – where the hell have they got to?"

"Can you see Tifa? Where is she?"

Zell lowered the binoculars and shook his head at Wedge. "Yeah, I saw her. She must've been hurt, she's not moving…"

Neither of them said the word, but he knew from Zell's frown and the worry in his eyes that they were both thinking it. _But Tifa can't be dead_, he thought, _Cloud wouldn't leave her for dead, he loves her, he's supposed to protect her, isn't he?_

_You could protect her_, said a little voice in his mind. _This is your chance to be a hero._

"We've got to help them!" he said. "We can't just stand and watch them lose this battle!"

"Squall's orders," said Xu, a little tetchily; she had been forced to repeat this more than once. "Defending Balamb Garden is our priority. We stay put unless we receive the signal."

Zell trembled, his fists clenched, indecision flickering over his face. "I don't get why he hasn't called us."

"Something must have gone wrong," said Wedge.

At that moment, a loud roaring alerted them. With a squeal of brakes, a truck raced around the corner and shuddered to a halt before them. It contained Selphie and Irvine. Selphie stood up in the driver's seat and waved.

"Perimeter defence, reporting! All's well on the Garden front! Heard from Squall yet?"

"No. But they're fighting enemy GFs over there."

"What? Let me look." Selphie snatched the binoculars from Zell, who spluttered angrily. Ignoring him, she scanned the horizon herself. "Oh my God! They need our help! Come on, Zell, get in the truck!"

"Our orders are to wait!" said Xu.

Zell's indecision had vanished; he sprang into the back seat and Wedge hurried to the other side. "I'm coming too!"

"Obedience is one of the most important things a SeeD learns!" Xu cried.

"Yeah?" said Irvine, as Selphie throttled the engine. "Well, so is flexibility. Watch us improvise!"

And with a roar, they were gone.

* * *

"I see you've brought the Sorceress too," Piet said. "How convenient."

Squall planted his feet in front of Rinoa, shielding her. He wanted to attack Piet, but he also needed to cover Rinoa. If she stayed directly behind him, then he could block any shots with his own body… but there was enough distance to cover that Piet could easily sidestep and aim at her…

"Why are you doing this?" he asked.

Piet was moving stealthily, past a skylight, trying to get a good angle.

"Stay with me," Squall murmured, feeling Rinoa's hand touch his elbow. They began circling each other, slowly closing the gap between them.

"I'm a mercenary," Piet answered. "I used to be a SeeD like you."

"Why did you quit?" He was getting close to striking distance now… the sun was out of his eyes at last…

Piet laughed. "I don't remember. The only thing I remember is my identification number – funny thing to recall, isn't it? Zero one five. I was one of the first ever students to graduate, but I don't remember where I lived, what I did, if I had friends, enemies, lovers…"

"It's the GFs' fault. You should call them off."

"My beloved Sisters?" Piet whispered. "They've been in my head for as long as I can remember, giving me power. They're killing your friends right now."

Squall tensed, ready to strike. Then he realised that he could no longer feel Rinoa's light touch on his arm, following him. Sudden fear gripped him. He turned – Rinoa was two paces away, she had launched another shot at Piet again, her face twisted with anger; he heard a second shot, Piet's shot, and it wouldn't be aimed at him…

"No!"

The world seemed to slow down. He had taken one step, but it wasn't enough; he was in a headlong rush that seemed slower than a snail, and he watched the bright trail of the bullet as if in a dream – Rinoa's expression changed to fear, her mouth opening in a surprised 'o'; he was so close but he might as well have been a million miles away because he couldn't stop that bullet from piercing her heart–


	29. No Mercy

**29**

** (No) Mercy**

Rinoa held out a hand, palm faced outwards. There was a shimmering light, like glass sparkling in the sun, and the bullet vanished. Squall watched, his eyes wide with shock. A sudden memory resurfaced: a Sorceress from his past, trapped like a bird in a cage as the golden gates of Deling City slammed down. She had melted Irvine's bullet into nothing too. The image passed; he was looking at Rinoa again, and the light that surrounded her did not come from the sun…

Spreading feathery white wings, she rose into the air. Piet shot again, and again, fear creeping into his face, and turned his gun on Squall, but to no avail; the shield was protecting them both.

"Sisters!" Piet cried.

* * *

As one, the GFs' heads turned. Cloud and Yuffie watched in astonished silence as they flew off, leaving the beginnings of their spell to fade behind them, discarded like an old snake skin. The last vestiges of magic flickered and vanished, bringing the world back into full solidity.

"They've gone," Cloud breathed, hardly able to comprehend it. "Piet must have called them…" The sounds of gunfire floated down from the roof.

Yuffie trembled with excitement. "While they're up there, we can get to the building, look, we can break in!"

She was right, the path was open before them, a metal door gleaming only a few yards away. It would be locked, and there would undoubtedly be resistance from within, but that would be nothing compared to the threat of the GFs. He stared at it for a moment, but only for a moment. What use would capturing the portal be if his friends weren't alive to go home through it?

Shaking his head, Cloud turned away. Yuffie squeezed his arm. A silent current of understanding passed between them. They hurried towards their fallen friends, and though Cloud did not speak, there was only one word forming soundlessly on his lips.

_Tifa_.

* * *

Piet licked his lips, backing away. Squall advanced, gunblade ready, determined not to let Piet escape. Piet was still shooting, a series of deafening bangs as he emptied his clip. His foot backed on to the edge of the roof, almost slipping into the gutter, and at the same time he pulled the trigger only for them to hear a hollow click. Not one of the bullets reached Squall. He had his foe cornered and now unarmed, but he walked slowly, aware that cornered enemies were often the most dangerous.

He could sense Rinoa in the air behind him. She would be casting any moment now; in this state Rinoa was no longer herself, she was a Sorceress, full of power and fury and magic.

Piet threw the useless gun aside. The two men regarded each other for a moment, their eyes calculating. Squall tensed–

Sandy swooped down and plucked Piet out of the air. At the same time, Mindy flew over his head – he ducked – and Cindy crashed into one of the squat chimneys, sending masonry and chips of stone flying everywhere. Squall whirled around, following Sandy's progress. She deposited Piet back in the middle of the rooftop, and landed lightly next to him. The three GFs were all facing Rinoa, a beacon of power, the reason their master had called them.

Mindy shot towards her, and Rinoa struck. A single sweep of her arm was all it took to cast Flare. White-hot fire blasted through the GF; it was exactly like a rocket taking off, except horizontal rather than vertical. The air burned around him; Squall gasped for breath.

"No!" Piet cried, as the smallest of the GFs collapsed. "Impossible – how could you?"

The power that crackled through Rinoa's voice made Squall's skin prickle. "Your magic won't work against me. I am a descendant of Hyne."

* * *

Yuffie hauled the large dark bundle that was Vincent in her wake, while Cloud helped a barely conscious Seifer up. He mumbled, "We won yet?" Cloud didn't answer. Heart racing, he set Seifer down next to Red XIII and went straight to Tifa. He stared at the lacerations in her stomach in dismay. She wasn't bleeding, evidence that the potion had worked to some extent, but her clothes were charred, one of her arms lolled at an awkward angle, and bruises marked her shoulder and face. Kneeling down, he cradled her in his arms, forgetting the discomfort of his own twisted ankle, of the various tiny bruises and cuts that were already healing up. He pressed his cheek to hers. She felt so light, as light as that day in the reactor when he had held her briefly, his heart bursting with devastation and anger and love.

"You – couldn't – help me out, could you?" Yuffie panted. She had given up trying to hold Vincent upright and was instead dragging him over the hard ground. He looked like a corpse covered in his mantle. She let go a few feet away and stood gasping, clutching her stomach.

"I guess that's close enough," said Cloud. He couldn't heal any of them, but at least they would be easier to protect in a group.

"Man, I thought Seifer was heavy, but Vincent…" She trailed off, looking back towards the base. "What's that light?"

* * *

Sandy and Cindy leapt for Rinoa next, a double attack. This meant that Piet was left alone, unprotected, and Squall made for him at once. The wind rose, blowing his hair behind him; it suddenly became a gale, pulling at him, and he glanced up. The Tornado Rinoa had cast swept both GFs into the air; it flung them round and round and all the loose bits of masonry from Cindy's crash were sucked in as well. The two remaining Sisters fought to shield themselves from the rocks battering them, their limbs flailing.

Squall forced himself to ignore the battle going on above him, to concentrate on his target. Piet was crouched where Sandy had left him, staring up at his GFs. His face was white, unblinking, unable to tear his eyes away. Perhaps he heard Squall's feet thundering over the concrete above the roaring of the tornado, or caught the movement of Squall's rush at the corner of his eye, because just as Squall brought his gunblade down in a deadly strike, Piet reacted. He dived to the side and the blade hit the hard rooftop, painfully juddering Squall's arm. At once, Piet was up and facing him.

"You'd attack an unarmed man?" he panted.

"I do whatever's necessary for my job," Squall replied, lunging forward.

His opponent ducked and weaved, just evading Squall's attacks. An upward cut sliced Piet's arm, and the man cried out. Squall pressed on. The roaring in his ears had faded; the wind had died down. Two heavy thumps told him that Sandy and Cindy had crashed back on to the rooftop. He could not see Rinoa, but he knew she was safe.

"My Sisters," Piet gasped. He ducked another strike that would have sliced his head off and stumbled back over the uneven roof, which was now strewn with masonry.

"They can't help you now," said Squall. The air was thick with magic. Even as he slashed Piet's chest and pulled the trigger, blasting him against one of the chimneys, a bright light assailed his eyes. For a moment, it was unbearable; Squall squeezed his eyelids shut as a high keening grew in his ears. The light of Holy sang. It pierced through everything. The world was illuminated: he sensed the last GF, Cindy, fall, even her armour unable to withstand the spell; he felt Piet, bleeding and broken, with his hands over his eyes to escape the awful light; he glimpsed Cloud and Yuffie on the battlefield below, the only ones left standing, watching Holy in wonder; and finally, Holy revealed Rinoa, in the centre of it all, an angel blazing with white magic.

The moment passed, lost. Sudden clarity came to him, of a different kind: his magic had returned. He felt his GFs shift within his mind. One shaded his eyes and another steadied his nerves – there was Piet, feet away from him, leaning against the chimney. He strode forward.

"Get them while they're defenceless," Piet rasped. "Yes… that's the best way to kill someone."

Squall did not hesitate. His gunblade swung, and it sliced cleanly through Piet's neck. Cloud had told him that Rinoa was to have been beheaded. If he could not have Kelling's head, then Piet's seemed like suitable payment. He wiped the blade on the dead man's coat before walking away.

* * *

"Holy," Cloud murmured. "But only she could ever…"

He felt dazzled, not just by the light. Only a Cetra could cast Holy. It was the ultimate white magic. Yet that was Rinoa up there, white-winged and shining. He remembered suddenly Red XIII's cryptic remark about the two girls being similar… The Sorceress and the Ancient.

Yuffie's hand gripped his arm. "Cloud! Look!"

He looked. From the direction of Balamb Garden, a single truck careered madly towards them, bumping over every slight undulation. He recognised Selphie's driving style, and a moment later a tall figure stood up in the front seat and waved his cowboy hat at them.

Yuffie waved back, jumping up and down, all signs of fatigue vanishing at once. "Here! We're here!"

Her shouts were unnecessary; Selphie had obviously seen them. Cloud watched them approach.

"Reinforcements!" Selphie said, as three other people leapt out of the truck almost before it had ground to a halt.

"Step aside," said Irvine, "we're here to save the day."

Selphie rushed over to Seifer, Zell to Vincent, and Irvine to Tifa and Red XIII. A few phoenix downs and several cures later, they all began stirring. He watched Tifa's wounds knit before his eyes, her bruises vanishing. The spells could not repair her ripped clothes or remove the dirt, but Cloud held her as her eyes opened and tenderly wiped a strand of hair out of her face.

"Cloud," she murmured. "That really, really hurt."

"It's okay now," he said, "the others are here and they're using magic so that must mean…"

"The GFs are gone? We beat them?"

Tifa stood. She was slightly unsteady on her feet, but she paced around, limbering up, paying special attention to the shoulder that had been dislocated.

Irvine looked up from his attempts to heal Red XIII. "No. I think Rinoa beat them."

They all turned to see Rinoa floating down from the roof. A pale nimbus of light surrounded her. Her wings were still visible – the last time Cloud had seen her like this, they had appeared for only seconds before vanishing – but she did not seem to need them. To Cloud's relief, Squall jumped down a second later. They both seemed unhurt.

"C'mon!" said Zell, "let's go!"

Everyone was up and ready – everyone, that is, except Red XIII. He was conscious, stirring feebly, but Irvine's spells did not seem to be helping.

"Wait," said Cloud, kneeling down by his comrade. "What's wrong?"

"I dunno," said Irvine. He tried again, casting a powerful healing spell, and Red shuddered, snarling in pain.

"I don't take well to your magic," Red gasped.

Selphie, Tifa and Yuffie had all gathered round. "Come here, let me do it," said Selphie, shoving Irvine aside. She raised her hands.

"No!" said Yuffie.

Selphie paused.

"It's – it's like the draw points, remember? Alien magic. I dunno, Red has like an allergic reaction to it or something."

"You humans," Red said, "are so insensitive." He dragged himself to his feet and shook his mane.

"Hey, I just saved your ass, furball!" said Yuffie indignantly. "If you ask me, you're the oversensitive one!"

Tifa gave her friend a quelling look. "Yuffie."

"Guys," said Zell. "Guys, I think we ought to get to Rinoa."

Cloud turned in time to see Rinoa floating before the door which led inside the base. He had only a brief glimpse of her shining white figure, Squall's black figure next to her, before Rinoa cast a spell which caused a small explosion.

* * *

Magic had never been this easy, or this natural. It powered her whole body; she thrummed with it; it overflowed from her fingertips. Her goal was to find something, a portal powered by a magic different from her own. She remembered how the materia had turned warm in her palm, the latent energies stirring within it. It was powered by memories. And so, she thought, was her own: powers passed on by Sorceresses through the generations, a chain of memories. The memories of her world dwelt in living bodies, and those of Cloud's world dwelt in the spirits of the dead, condensed into materia, but the methods were similar. True magic lay in the essence of spirit memories. Para-magic was the very opposite of true magic; the GFs eroded the memories of their occupants.

Her GFs cowered inside her mind. Even Eden remained quiescent, aware of a power equal to its own. She did not need their puny spells. She felt alive and vibrant with energy. Spreading out her senses like a net, she cast them out, scanning the whole building. She touched upon the materia nestled within a machine, which was nestled inside a guarded room, which was in the middle of the building. The most direct route was through the front door.

She cast Flare. The door turned red-hot, then white-hot, and then with a grinding sound was blasted right off its hinges, leaving an opening framed by twisted and melted girders. The Sorceress floated serenely through. Two soldiers with machine guns were waiting for her. They fired wildly, but no bullets could penetrate her shield. She consumed them with Firaga. Their dying screams echoed through the corridor as alarms went off throughout the building.

She passed them without looking down. Another door stood in her way; she blasted it open with Meltdown. The magic tingled at her fingertips, waiting to burst out of her. She could sense the foreign magic deeper inside the building. She flew on, and another soldier tried to cast Sleep on her. She almost laughed at how weak it was, the pathetically shrill insistence in her head, telling her to close her eyes, to lie down, to let sleep take her. She bore down upon the soldier – this one had a sword, not a gun – and he panicked, attempting to flee. She hit him in the back with Bio. He fell screaming, the spell corroding his flesh like acid, and the poison entering his veins. He was still writhing and screaming after she passed him by, not bothering to finish him off; the poison would do that.

* * *

"Come on, in the truck! Hurry up, slow poke!" Selphie added, as Wedge took a little too long to tear his gaze away from Sorceress Rinoa disappearing through the blasted remains of the front entrance.

They all piled in, Cloud and Vincent lifting up Red XIII, who was still weak and shaky. Wedge found himself in the back, living up to his namesake for once, because he was wedged in tightly between Vincent and Tifa. This was simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating. It was a short distance to travel, of course – he might have thought it would have been quicker to run, except that Selphie was their driver.

"H-how do you do?" he stammered, holding out a hand to Vincent, for they had not been properly introduced before.

"Better," Vincent replied gravely. He did not shake Wedge's hand, but perhaps that was because his closest hand was encased in a clawed gauntlet.

Or perhaps he was distracted by Yuffie on his other side, who snorted, "You'd better be after I dragged your sorry ass halfway across-"

"We're here!" said Tifa, squeezing his arm. Wedge turned to look at her, but she had already scrambled out of the truck, her hand entwined with Cloud's.

"Squall's gone ahead!" Irvine called.

Wedge got out and climbed over the ruined entrance after the others. "Why couldn't they wait?" he panted.

"We can't stop Rinoa," said Irvine grimly. "She's out of control when she's like this."

* * *

She was getting closer, she could sense it. The corridors became darker as she plunged deeper into the facility. The doors here were made of reinforced steel, locked and spell-sealed. None of them survived her magic.

Three soldiers guarded the final door. They saw her approach and their limbs shook and one of them said, "Oh, God, it's the Sorceress, shit, we're gonna die, we're gonna die-" and another one said, "Shut up and shoot!" and the third made a noise somewhere between a strangled choke and a squeal.

Machine guns blasted at her, doing no more harm than as if they were blowing bubbles. Smiling at the thought, she raised her arm and cast Water, suspending one of the men in a floating whirlpool. He thrashed and gurgled inside it, bubbles erupting from his mouth. The sight pleased her. She held the liquid orb for longer than usual, watching him twist and turn like an eel, until eventually his struggles ceased. One of the other men had tried casting a fire spell at the bubble – didn't he know that water quenched fire? The other kept shooting at her; he seemed frozen in place, his finger stuck on the trigger. She let the bubble collapse and water rushed out. The living soldiers managed to keep their feet; the drowned soldier fell to the floor like a wet fish.

The fire-casting soldier, who wielded a sword, let out a roar and charged her. She flicked a finger and Meltdown flung him back. His head hit the wall with a loud crack, smashing his skull, and he slid down it, leaving a trail of sticky blood.

The last soldier fled, along the corridor to the left of the door. She flew after him, and as soon as she reached the corner, directly in front of the door, she turned and sent a bolt of lightning after him. The bolt lit him up in mid-flight; he tumbled forward and did not move. A thin trail of smoke curled up from his blackened body.

She was feeling a little weary now, her powers waning. The wings on her back faded away. She stepped back, on the ground now like every other mortal. There was someone beside her, shouting at her, but he wasn't important. One more door to blast through. She cast Flare, and even as the spell left her mind, she knew it wasn't as strong. But it did the trick; the door collapsed in on itself, revealing a room illuminated by red light, so that for a moment she thought she had set it on fire.

Then her trance left her completely and she was Rinoa again. She fell on her hands and knees, gasping. Someone was there to pick her up at once. She smelt the familiar scent of leather, the comforting arms which wrapped around her, strong and secure.

"Squall… I…" She began tilting her head back to look at him, but her gaze fell on something else first: a dead man slumped against the wall, thick dark blood staining his helmet. She gasped. "What did I do?"

"You did what you had to."

"I never – I never meant to-"

She choked, dry sobs rasping through her throat. _I never meant to kill them. Not like that. Not so easily. I never meant to enjoy it._

"Squall! Rinoa!"

A myriad of voices. The others were arriving, old friends and new. Some of them looked at her apprehensively, as if afraid the Sorceress inside her would rise up again. She had never felt so awful in her life.

"Rinoa, are you okay – the portal, you didn't…?"

She shook her head numbly. "It's through there."

And just like that, their attention was focused at once on the room beyond her, the room where Kelling, his last remaining allies and the portal lurked. They didn't seem to realise the full horror of what had happened. Squall pulled her up, there were people casting healing spells and she felt the magic sweep over her with a sense of disconnection.

Cloud was leading the way this time, his friends going in first. She tried to forget the sight of the dead man who had been guarding the door as she followed them inside.

* * *

Hawkson hadn't returned when they heard distant machine gun fire coming from outside. The two scientists were huddled together, useless and terrified. Biggs cleared his throat.

"I think we should surrender, sir."

"No," Kelling snarled. "We still have one advantage… bring me the child."

Sighing heavily, he obeyed, and Kelling dragged Denzel as far away from the door as he could get, on to the dais which supported the portal. His boss glanced at the portal more than once, and Biggs knew he was thinking of escaping back through it, but little hope lay that way when the Turks would probably shoot him on sight. Biggs kicked Rufus Shinra's unconscious body out of sight and stationed himself in front of the dais, where he had a clear view of the exit.

With a metallic whoosh, the door opened, and one of the soldiers, Rook, burst in. His helmet had come off and he had lost his weapon. Screams echoed down the corridor behind him.

"It's the Sorceress!" Rook cried. "She's destroying – killing – Piet's dead, Hawkson's dead-"

"Shut the door!" Kelling barked.

"But the others – running…"

"I said close it! Close it and bar it."

Rook obeyed. Kelling did not need to ask any questions; the young soldier seemed unable to contain his frightened babble. "She blasted all the doors… I saw Merrick fall, and Golan c-consumed in fire… The wrath of the Sorceress… terrible…"

Biggs remembered Wedge's plan to get the pair of them out of this mess. It seemed stupid now, his promise to Denzel empty. Wedge had led the SeeDs and the Sorceress right to them, and they would probably kill them even before they had a chance to surrender.

The screams were getting closer. They were the sounds of men dying. Those men were his allies. Rook was leaning against the door, trembling. He was only nineteen; it was not long ago that he had finished his training in the military before he caught Kelling's eye.

Biggs jerked his head. "Rook, come here."

The door blasted open. It slammed into Rook as the air exploded around him, shrapnel flying like a cloud of daggers. Kyme and Holt both cried out. Biggs raised his arm to shield his face, but the shrapnel did not reach him. As he lowered his arm, he saw Rook's broken body lying on the floor. Dead. Biggs swallowed. This was it; the Sorceress was on the other side. They were trapped.

* * *

They burst into the central control room, which was filled with red light. Cloud saw the portal, the cowering scientists, and a single remaining soldier with a machine gun. None of these would have stopped him; he would have charged and cut down the soldier at once while his friends swarmed in and captured the rest. But on the dais, framed by the curve of the metal arch, stood Kelling, one arm around the neck of a small, wild-haired boy, his other hand holding a gun to the boy's head. The breath seemed to have been punched from his body. _Denzel_.

His thought was echoed by Tifa's anguished cry. "Denzel!"

"Stop!" Kelling cried. "Stop, or I'll kill him!"

Cloud had to grab Tifa to prevent her from rushing forward; she struggled against him, her entire body shaking. "Denzel! Denzel!"

He knew how she felt; he was quivering with anger too and he would have liked nothing more than to behead Kelling right there and then, but Kelling's face was white and strained, his pupils dilated, the gun pressing against Denzel's skull harder than was necessary. He looked like he might pull the trigger at any second and there would be no way to save Denzel if that happened.

"Ti – Tifa," gasped Denzel. His voice sounded choked. "Cloud."

Kelling made a violent movement, shaking Denzel's head, and Denzel subsided, his eyes large and frightened. The soldier with the machine gun was backing away on to the dais.

"You will lay down your weapons," said Kelling.

Cloud could feel the others crowding around him, buzzing with rage. Squall pushed through them, Rinoa at his side.

"Give it up, Kelling. We have you surrounded and your allies are dead."

Kelling was shaking. "Lay down your weapons!"

"You have to stop this!" said Rinoa.

Kelling laughed harshly. "The Sorceress speaks! What a bloody path of destruction she must have left behind her – and you tell me to stop? And still you shield her."

"She's not the one holding a child hostage," said Squall, who had indeed placed himself in front of Rinoa.

"If you leave a Sorceress alive, she will kill thousands! One child means nothing."

"That's _my_ child you're talking about!" Tifa shrieked.

The tension in the room was unbearable; it was suffocating. Everyone was breathing fast, weapons still raised; it would only take a single misjudgement, just one person to break the deadlock, and Denzel would pay the price. Cloud glanced around at his allies anxiously, focusing on those he knew were the most hot-headed: Yuffie, who was making little agitated movements; Seifer, whose eyes were burning; and Selphie, who looked outraged. He prayed that they would not do anything to cost Denzel his life, and he could only hope that his thoughts were reflected in his eyes.

Someone was pushing through the crowd, right from the back. He stepped forward in front of them all, raising his hands.

"Wedge!" said the soldier in surprise.

"Sir," said Wedge breathlessly, "sir, I've talked to these people, I think we can negotiate…"

But blood was rushing to Kelling's face. "You!" he snarled. "You dirty little traitor!"

Kelling raised his gun and fired. There was a terrific bang; Kelling reeled back, Denzel stumbling with him; several people screamed, and Tifa broke out of Cloud's arms and rushed forward with a cry.

"Wedge!"

He seemed to fall so slowly, endlessly. Tifa caught him in her arms. One of his hands clutched his chest, blood seeping through it. She lifted his helmet away, and brushed back his hair. Wedge gazed at her, looking faintly surprised.

"Tifa…"

"Heal him, quick!" someone said.

But Cloud knew it was too late. Wedge's eyes had already closed, his mouth slightly open, no longer breathing.

Tifa looked up at Kelling, who was leaning against the right side of the arch. "You killed him! You – you despicable-"

Irvine and Vincent had their guns trained on Kelling. Cloud knew they would have reacted as Kelling fired the shot, if it weren't for Wedge being in the way. Now Kelling had Denzel at point blank range again, so they would not dare. But someone else did, and suddenly Cloud recognised the soldier in the red uniform.

Biggs tilted his machine gun against Kelling's head. "Let go of the kid or I'll blow your brains out right now, _sir_."

* * *

For a moment, Tifa thought that Kelling was going to shoot anyway, that he had gone past all reason. Then he slowly loosened his grip on Denzel. The gun fell clattering from his hands.

"You too, Biggs?" Kelling whispered.

"That was my friend you just killed," Biggs replied. "Seven years I've known him… seven years…" His shoulders began shaking. Suddenly, he snapped, "Hands up! Step away from the portal."

As Kelling shuffled away with his head down, as Biggs untied Denzel, as her allies swiftly took control of the situation, Tifa stayed with Wedge, staring into his blank face.

"Seven years," she murmured. "I knew you only for a few days, but…"

She could not complete the sentence. Tears dripped down her cheeks and spilled on to Wedge's still-warm skin. _You were so good_, she thought. _You helped us so much and you didn't deserve this…_

Biggs had removed the last of Denzel's restraints. She sniffed, wiped her eyes, and beckoned him with a bright smile. Cloud knelt down beside her as Denzel rushed to them. Their son flung himself into their arms and she hugged him tightly, never wanting to let go.

"I'm so glad you're safe."

They held each other, all three of them, until Denzel tried to untangle himself, saying, "Tifa… I can't breathe."

She loosened her grip at once. "I'm sorry, I just…"

He had twisted his head, looking down at Wedge. "That man… he's dead…"

"Don't look, Denzel," she said, struggling to contain fresh tears. "Turn your eyes away."

Cloud lifted him up, and Tifa stood up with them. The little family watched soberly as the SeeDs tied their captives up using the ropes that had bound Denzel. Biggs came over to them. He had discarded his machine gun, or perhaps a prudent SeeD had taken it away from him. Taking off his helmet, he gazed at Wedge with hollow eyes.

"You saved our son," said Cloud, breaking the silence. "We can't thank you enough."

Biggs looked at them. "I don't want your thanks. I didn't do it for you, I did it for – I did it for Wedge."

"We're sorry," said Tifa. It seemed such an inadequate thing to say, such a small word to express a torrent of emotion.

Biggs didn't reply. He knelt down by Wedge, as Tifa had done, and bowed his head. It was clear that he wanted to be left alone. Not wanting to intrude, Cloud and Tifa retreated.

It was then that Yuffie shouted, "Oh my gawd! Rufus Shinra!"

* * *

Their presence intimidated Holt so much that he answered their questions without needing to be threatened, eager to seem co-operative. The unconscious man whom Yuffie and Selphie had dragged into the middle of the room was someone Rinoa did not recognise, but Holt quickly explained that he was from Cloud's world and the reasons for kidnapping him.

"We should wake him up, right?" said Selphie.

"Uh…" said Yuffie. "I vote that we leave him."

"Will he be all right?" Cloud asked.

Holt nodded. "He's suffering the usual effects of portal travel. There's a shot we can administer if you want to wake him up now."

Cloud glanced around at his friends. "We'll wake him up later," he decided.

"For now," Squall said, drawing his gunblade, "we have someone else to deal with."

Kelling was tied up at the foot of the dais, his face bloodless in the harsh light. Computer screens still blinked around them and the machine that powered the portal whirred. At Squall's beckoning, Cloud stepped forward. They stood beside Kelling and each laid the tip of a blade lightly against either side of Kelling's neck.

"I have orders to arrest you," Squall said softly, "but both Cloud and I have reasons to let our swords _slip_…"

"Please," said Kelling. He was sweating profusely, his collar damp. "Please have mercy…"

"You took the people I love hostage," said Cloud. He stated it as a bald fact, with no inflection in his voice, but Rinoa could see the anger in his eyes. She glanced at Tifa, wondering how she would feel about this. Tifa's face was still glazed with tears, her hand holding Denzel's, but there was no disapproval in her expression; she supported Cloud's reaction entirely.

"You tried to kill the person I love the most," said Squall. He spoke in exactly the same way as Cloud. It was as though they were reading out a shopping list of Kelling's crimes.

Kelling was breathing raggedly, but he seemed to have lost the power of speech. Squall and Cloud both raised their swords, ready to strike. Kelling closed his eyes, trembling uncontrollably. Rinoa looked around, and once again felt out of step with everybody else, because she saw none of her own feelings reflected in her friends' faces. They were grim, triumphant, and in some cases, eager and bloodthirsty. They wanted Kelling dead. Once again, the question occurred to her, the same question she had pondered before.

_It was me Kelling tried to kill. Should I want him dead too? _

"On the count of three?" Squall asked. "One…"

_He deserves it_, she thought. _Far more than those men I killed_. Eden was whispering to her. Rinoa pushed it away, out of her mind. She could do without its baleful influence. It made her want to fight, and she had only wanted to defend herself. For the first time, she had embraced her natural powers completely and all she could do was destroy. She felt sick, sick of the violence, sick of dealing out death.

"Two…"

Nobody else was stepping up to prevent this. Kelling thought she was evil. Rinoa would prove him wrong.

"Stop!" she said. Power laced her voice, freezing Squall and Cloud's limbs.

"Rinoa?"

"Don't kill him. Haven't enough people died already?"

"Rinoa," said Squall tightly, "this man is the _reason_ all these people have died already-"

Cloud remained silent, lowering his eyes. She sensed that her battle was not with him, and released him. He slung his blade over his back and folded his arms. Squall noticed this.

"Cloud… why are you…?"

"You understand, right?" said Rinoa. "You don't have to choose this path. You don't have to keep killing."

He stared at her. The seconds lengthened, the entire room holding its breath. She looked back at him, her eyes begging him. _Be the better person, Squall._

Squall sighed heavily. "All right, we'll take him alive. Caraway can have him."

She smiled. "Thank you."

"Dude," said Yuffie, "if you're not gonna kill him, can I at least punch him in the gut?"

The tension dissipated. Seifer, Irvine and Selphie chuckled at Yuffie's outburst. Cloud went straight to Tifa and Denzel as muted conversations added a quiet babble to the other background noises. Kelling's shoulders had slumped. He looked up at her as she embraced Squall.

"So this is your last act of cruelty," he said. "The Sorceress shows me mercy."


	30. Homecoming

**30**

** Homecoming**

Squall did not trust Holt and Kyme to transport anyone through the portal safely, so he ordered Zell and Irvine to fetch Doctor Odine. Meanwhile, they had a lot of cleaning up to do. They piled together the bodies of the dead soldiers outside and used magic to cremate them. It was not a good end, or a fitting end, but as their ashes scattered in the wind, Squall thought that at least they had not been left as carrion for the monsters. Biggs watched all this grimly, but he refused to let the same happen to Wedge. Instead, they wrapped Wedge's body up using a sheet from the soldiers' living quarters and laid him out on a makeshift campbed. Biggs stayed with him.

Cloud and the others had gone to fetch Red XIII, who had stayed in the truck, still weak and able only to hobble slowly over the ground. Seifer and Selphie remained in the control room, guarding their three captives.

"We should go and talk to Biggs," said Rinoa.

Biggs was sitting down on one of the flat campbeds. The narrow room was a mess of mattresses, clothes, rucksacks and other sundry items: a battered pack of cards and a Triple Triad board, an almost full packet of cigarettes, a black wallet, an empty bottle, a crumpled fifty gil note and a small stash of potions. They were items belonging to men now dead. The air was stale.

Rinoa wrinkled her nose as she picked her way over to Biggs. Beside him, Wedge's body lay stretched out. The nearly-white sheet covered the whole body, giving it a sense of anonymity. It could have been anyone under there. Squall had miscalculated; he had not anticipated that Piet commanded GFs so powerful, or that they had the ability to suppress magic. They had been lucky to get away with only one casualty. Squall did not say any of this, because he had the idea that Rinoa wanted to comfort Biggs, and he didn't think his sentiments would be welcomed.

Biggs regarded them through tired eyes, but he didn't say anything so it was left to Rinoa to break the silence.

"We're so sorry," she said. "We'll pay you compensation, won't we, for your loss."

Squall nodded, although this had not occurred to him.

"I don't want your money. I don't want anything to do with SeeD."

"But if you want to give Wedge a proper funeral…"

"I'll dig him a grave with my own hands."

There was no arguing with stubbornness like that, but Rinoa didn't know when to give up.

"If there's any way that we can help…"

"You can help," said Biggs, and he turned his gaze from Rinoa to Squall, "by telling Caraway that I'm dead. You've tried hard enough to make it that way, so might as well make it official."

"If that's what you want," said Squall.

"Wait, what?" said Rinoa. "When have we ever tried to kill you?"

Biggs laughed mirthlessly. "I've lost count. I remember you twerps when you were only cadets. Squall and the little girl with the brown hair and the guy with the tattoo on his face and Seifer, the Sorceress' lapdog all left Wedge and me for dead up at the Dollet communications tower."

Squall blinked. "That was you?"

"You don't remember, do you? Piet was like that. He had no idea how many people he'd killed; he forgot the lot of 'em. I'm not sorry you took care of the scumbag."

"He was an ex-SeeD," said Squall.

"Figures."

Squall had nothing to say to that. An uncomfortable silence descended, during which Rinoa bit her lip and Squall surreptitiously tugged at her hand, wanting to leave.

"We're sorry," said Rinoa again. She turned and almost fled out of the room, Squall hurrying after her.

* * *

Every fibre of Yuffie's being was eager to be home. The portal was right there, all powered up, and it would only take a little jab from the knife which Selphie had returned to her to make Holt and Kyme set it up for them, but oh no, Squall was being all safety conscious and suspicious again, and wouldn't allow it. Odine was supposed to be coming, but he seemed to be taking ages. Yuffie had so far wasted her time prodding various parts of Rufus Shinra with her toe, hugging a disconsolate Tifa, telling a joke that fell flat to Denzel, and giving the tied-up Kelling dirty looks. After they brought Red XIII limping into the control room, she sprawled down next to him and stroked his damp furry head.

"You don't look good, Red, sure you're all right?"

"I have a fever," he replied. He was sitting with his limbs tucked under him, his tail flicking this way and that, the flame burning dully.

"That freak Odine had better get here soon. You don't look like you're gonna last much longer."

He said nothing, just flattened his ears to the top of his head.

"What's taking him so long? I want to go home now," she grumbled.

Red didn't take the invitation to complain along with her. Yuffie decided it was best to let him rest. As she stood up and stretched, Selphie came over and tapped her shoulder. "Hey. Seifer's just been telling me what happened with you guys in the training centre."

Upon hearing his name, Seifer joined them, grinning. Yuffie flushed and opened her mouth automatically to deny whatever it was that had happened.

"Why'd you look so guilty, ninja girl?"

Wait, she hadn't done anything wrong in the training centre, had she? "Uh…"

Selphie smoothed over the awkward moment with a giggle. "No, I was talking about Irvine and how you lectured him."

"It wasn't a _lecture_-"

"I think he took it seriously anyway."

"Really?" said Yuffie.

Selphie shrugged. "Well, we'll see. I'll miss you, Yuffie. But I bet there's someone here who'll miss you more." She nudged and winked at Seifer.

Seifer grinned. "I wouldn't count on it."

He got an elbow in the ribs for that, but it was half-hearted. Even though she had known it was coming, the thought of saying goodbye dampened her spirits. She glanced around to see what her friends were doing. Vincent was silently guarding Kelling. Cloud, Tifa and Denzel were conversing in low voices. Tifa still looked upset over Wedge, her eyes red-rimmed.

Selphie saw where Yuffie was looking. "Poor Tifa. He was a nice guy."

Yuffie felt a twinge of guilt. She didn't even know Wedge, hadn't bothered to get to know him, and yet he had died for them. "Yeah."

Squall and Rinoa appeared in the doorway. "They're here," he said.

'They' meant Irvine, Zell, Xu and Doctor Odine. The little scientist was as oddly dressed as ever. He let out a shriek when he saw his machine again, safe and fully functioning, and waddled over to it, cackling. While Odine checked the machine, Xu snapped her fingers and left with the three prisoners in her wake. Biggs also followed her, carrying Wedge's body with him.

"So that's that," Tifa murmured, as she watched them go.

"Are we going home now?" Denzel asked.

"Yes."

He looked at Cloud for confirmation. Cloud nodded. "Yeah, we are."

Yuffie grinned, her excitement bubbling up all over again. She felt as though the departure of Kelling and his cronies, and the sad bundle that was Wedge had removed the last of the lingering bad feelings in this place. Squall, Rinoa, Irvine, Selphie, Zell and Seifer were all staying to see them off. She bounced ahead of Tifa to the dais, joining Vincent and Red XIII who were already lining up to go through.

"Oho!" said Odine. "Zese foolish Galbadians, vat have zey done vith my beautiful machine?"

"Is something wrong?" Yuffie asked.

"No, I can make it vork, but zey have fiddled vith it, fiddled around vith my perfect program!" Odine began typing, his beady eyes scrunched up against the glare of the computers.

"Well," Squall began, "it's been a long journey."

"Wait," said Cloud. He and Vincent were holding Rufus Shinra's unconscious form between them. "Before we say goodbye, I want to ask you something."

Squall nodded, indicating that he should continue. Yuffie watched them curiously.

"After we leave, close the portal down. Dismantle it, destroy it – make sure that no-one can ever use it again."

Several people looked surprised, but predictably it was Odine who let out an outraged squawk. He turned to them, his ruff wobbling, and stamped his feet.

"Destroy my beautiful machine? Vat madness iz zis?"

"It's not madness," said Cloud. "Believe me, you'll thank me. See this man?" He indicated Rufus' lolling head. "This is Rufus Shinra. He knows about the portal now, Kelling told him all about it, promised him riches and new technology. I know him. He'll want to take control of it."

"And if he doesn't," said Vincent, "there'll be a thousand others who will. Both in your world and ours. How long before someone else like Kelling comes along, and succeeds?"

Odine opened and closed his mouth like a fish. Squall nodded. "I understand. We'll do as you say."

* * *

Odine didn't look happy, but he was hardly in a position to argue. Squall thought the matter was done with, but then the flame-tailed creature, Red, spoke up. He had almost forgotten it was there.

"Odine," said Red, "did you bring anything else through the portal during your research? Any living things? Anything at all?"

Squall frowned. _An odd question._

Odine's eyes suddenly brightened with interest. "Zat animal talks? How fascinating! I vould love for it to visit my laboratory!"

Red growled, deep in his throat. Odine seemed to realise that continuing this train of thought was a bad idea, and didn't pursue the subject. "Some things," he answered at last.

"What things?" asked Cloud.

"Pieces of technology. Phones, circuits, weapons, documents… It vas all legitimately acquired!" Odine added, seeing the accusing looks on Cloud and Tifa's faces. "Ve used your technology to improve our own. Your vorld iz backwards in some areas, but advanced in others."

_How long has this been going on for?_ Squall wondered. It was no secret that Esthar had made amazing and rapid advances in radio signals and wireless communication. Were all these ideas stolen?

"But did you bring through any living things?" Red persisted.

"No," was the answer. "Ze city location vas not abundant in wildlife."

"You did not try to use any of these objects as a means to connect with our world?"

"That's an idea!" said Selphie. She looked at Red, impressed. "If you could use the materia to get to their world, then couldn't you use anything else from their world as well?"

"No, of course not!" said Odine. "Zese other objects did not contain magic like ze orb! It iz the magic vich makes it vork!"

Red spoke quietly. "It isn't the magic. It's the Mako."

Odine stared at Red. "Vat are you saying?"

"Materia is born of the Lifestream. It wants to return to its own world and that attraction creates the connection. Both Vincent and I have Mako inside us and that's why the portal pulled us through." He growled at Odine. "You have been meddling with powers you don't understand!"

A vein in Odine's forehead twitched. Then, abruptly, he let out a cry and paced furiously around in a circle. Squall couldn't decipher much of his feverish mutterings, but he thought he heard the phrases, "A breakthrough!" and "Zis Mako, it must be a powerful magic!"

"The hell you all talking about?" Zell asked. "What's the Lifestream?"

"Spirit energy," said Red. "The flow of life around our Planet. When we die, our souls return to the Lifestream, only to be born again as a new life. That is the cycle of the Planet."

"I have heard of zis," said Odine. "I thought it vas a legend from your vorld."

"It's no legend," said Cloud. "The Lifestream is real, as real as the Mako inside me."

Red turned to Squall. "Before you destroy the machine, you must remove the materia. It's a part of our Lifestream, which makes it too dangerous to remain in your world."

"But how can we do that?" Squall asked. "I thought the machine was powered by the materia."

"There may be some residual energy left over after our departure. Rinoa… I think you will be able to do it."

"Me?" said Rinoa.

"You're a Sorceress," said Red. "Perhaps your magic is ancient enough to remember this materia… to remember our world."

On that enigmatic note, he stopped. Squall frowned, but they were all distracted by Odine, who suddenly laughed.

"Very vell!" the scientist said. "One last trip. No time for sightseeing. Just one goodbye, and zat iz all. You have two minutes!"

* * *

Two minutes. Yuffie caught her breath. She had longed for this moment for so long, but now it was finally here, she wanted to stretch the seconds out. It was time to say goodbye. Squall and Cloud shook hands. Tifa hugged Rinoa, both of them with tears in their eyes. Yuffie rushed from person to person, hugging them all, even Zell who she barely knew.

"Bye, dude! Love the tattoo! Say hi to Quistis for me."

Zell flushed red, but he nodded and hugged her back enthusiastically. Selphie laughed, equally as enthusiastic.

"I'll miss you," she said again.

"Me too." Yuffie brushed back a strand of her hair, revealing Selphie's undamaged ear, with a white earring shaped like a teardrop dangling from it. "At least you can remember me every time you wear a single earring, huh?"

Selphie laughed. "Yeah, that'll remind me."

Yuffie noticed that her hand was tightly entwined with Irvine's. She hugged him next, saying, "Treat her properly, you big schmuck!"

"I will."

Then she hugged Rinoa. "Sorry again about the whole assassination thing. Won't do it again, promise!"

Rinoa laughed. "Don't ever change, Yuffie."

"I'll miss you."

"Me too. I would have loved to see your world, just once…" She smiled sadly.

Yuffie went to Squall next. He had just shaken Vincent's hand and she caught him off-guard when she flung her arms around him. He was like a marble statue, all cold hard leather, she thought. She grinned mischievously.

"Bye bye, Commander! You're an asshole, but you're really hot, you know."

She left him standing frozen and bright red.

She turned to Seifer last. He was on his own, slightly isolated from the others. She pinched him on the cheek and grinned. "Bye, Seifer! You're a jerk too, but ya know what, I like you that way! You're actually kinda hot too, but let's not get into that now, I'm never gonna see you again anyway… Seifer?"

He looked over her shoulder, towards Odine, as though he was waiting for something. _Counting down the seconds_, she thought, _until…_

Odine let out a cry of triumph. "Yes! Ze co-ordinates are set!"

The high-pitched keening of the machine cut through their ears. Their farewells ceased abruptly. In the moment that the noise reached its highest pitch, making them all wince, Seifer took a pace forward, Yuffie stumbling with him. His face glittered in the glare of the computer screens. The sound of the machine passed out of their hearing. There was a moment of absolute silence when Seifer spoke.

"I want to go with you."

Yuffie's mouth fell open. "What?"

"I'm going too – through the portal and into a new world!" His face was eager, passionate.

Yuffie swallowed a couple of times but for once she was rendered speechless.

Instead, it was Squall who spoke next. "But you came back to Garden. You said you wanted to become a SeeD. Was that a joke?"

"No. I thought I did. I thought it was the only path left open to me. I would walk side by side with Fate instead of being dragged along at her heels. But now I have a choice – a chance, and I'm gonna take it. You – SeeD, Garden, everyone in this world – you can all go fuck yourselves. I'm leaving."

The shock left by his words seemed to vibrate in the air. The portal was still shimmering. It gave an eerie cast to the pale faces around them. Yuffie backed away from Seifer and he took her hand, his expression urgent.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "I mean, what if it doesn't work out? You won't be able to go back."

"I'm sure."

"But your friends – Raijin and Fujin…"

"Do I sound as though I haven't thought about this, Yuffie? I talked it over with them. I've said my goodbyes."

_He's really serious_, Yuffie thought. _This isn't just a crazy impulse; he planned this moment all along._ The world suddenly seemed to be full of endless possibilities. She imagined introducing Seifer to her friends back home, to Cid and Barret, to all the stuffy nobles in Wutai. She could hardly contain herself.

"Then come! I'll show you Wutai and take you to the pagoda and we can climb up Mount Da-Chao and-"

"What about me?" Rinoa asked. "You won't be able to write to me."

Seifer shrugged. "I'm sorry, Rinoa."

"No," said a low, rasping voice, and Yuffie looked around in surprise for the source of the voice. "No, you mustn't go."

Red had spoken. She frowned. What was Red doing raining on her parade? He was still in a bad condition; none of their potions or spells had been able to help him any further. He limped towards them, looking scarred and grizzled.

"Why shouldn't he come with us?" she asked aggressively.

Red's tail swung from side to side like a very fast pendulum. It reminded Yuffie of a cat, and cats only wagged their tails when they were angry or agitated…

"He doesn't belong to our world! His soul will not find a resting place in our Lifestream. I would not condemn anyone to such a fate."

_Oh, no. Not that_.

Cloud looked worried. "Could it contaminate our Lifestream?"

"It's possible," said Red.

Seifer looked at her, but she couldn't deny it. She could only give a tiny shrug.

"I don't care!" he said. "I don't give a shit about your Lifestream mumbo-jumbo. I just want to start a new life somewhere else, somewhere different…"

"No, Red is right," said Vincent, coming into the fray. "You might be willing to risk your soul, but I'm not willing to risk the Planet. Remember what happened last time an alien spirit found its way to our world."

"Jenova?" said Yuffie incredulously. "You can't seriously be comparing Seifer to Jenova."

"We can't let him come with us, Yuffie," said Vincent. "Not permanently."

Sometimes, Yuffie really, really wanted to hit Vincent.

"You're going to stop me?" Seifer sneered. "Cloud, Tifa, what have you got to say?"

All eyes turned to Cloud and Tifa, who were standing with Denzel between them. If they chose to side with her and Seifer (_and they'd better do_, she thought), Seifer might get his way after all.

"There's something I want to know," said Tifa. "If we're in two completely different worlds, then why do they share the same sky?"

Squall looked surprised. "They do?"

She nodded. "But even without that, you must have noticed the similarities… It can't be a coincidence that we understand each other, can it? We speak the same language."

"I never thought about that!" said Zell. "That is weird!"

"Is this going somewhere?" Yuffie asked.

"Yeah," said Cloud. "Because if our worlds are related somehow, maybe they're not that alien at all, maybe Seifer would be able to live there…"

Hope shone bright for a moment, but Red swiftly crushed it.

"No," he said, "no, you still don't understand, any of you. This is a different world."

"Then why does it have the same sky?" Tifa asked.

Red sighed. Although his breathing was shallow, he spoke in a quiet, even tone. "Here's a story for you. A story of universes intertwined. Once upon a time, there was a planet. Two thousand years ago, a calamity fell from the sky. Jenova. That event changed the future of the planet forever. But, in a different universe, Jenova never came. In a different universe, the Ancients became known as Sorceresses. The ancient entities of the Lifestream became known as Guardian Forces. The two worlds diverged, but they share the same roots."

"How do you know all this?" Squall asked.

"I don't know. I make an educated guess. Perhaps the split occurred earlier. I don't know enough of the history of this world to say."

"But," said Yuffie, grasping at straws, "doesn't that mean the Lifestreams aren't so different after all? It's a slightly different version, that's all."

"Only two thousand years or more different," said Vincent dryly. She glared at him.

Red sighed again, his patience wearing thin. "Do you know why I'm sick? Do you know why I haven't eaten anything since I arrived?"

"What?" Tifa cried. "You've been starving yourself?" She hurried over to him and knelt down at his side to feel his ribcage. "No wonder you feel so thin!"

"I know why you're sick," said Yuffie. "You're sick 'cause you've been too dumb to eat."

Seifer chuckled, but nobody else did. Red growled at her. "You were more accurate when you said I was allergic. I am. Two thousand years or more is enough to completely change the make-up of the Lifestream. Every organic thing in this world is like poison to me. I cannot ingest it. You don't realise it because you're less sensitive, but it's the same for you. You've survived several days in this world, eating its food, being healed by its magic. How much longer before you sicken too? A month? A year? Ten years? The alien spirit energy will accumulate sooner or later."

Seifer spoke. "And what you're saying is, if I go into your world, the same will happen to me? I'll get sick… and die?"

Red nodded.

"So I can't go." He said it in a flat, dead tone, which matched his face and his body language: slumped, defeated.

"No, no, don't say that!" said Yuffie. "I wanted to show you Wutai! I wanted to take you to the pagoda and Da-Chao and show you the statues of the five gods…"

She trailed off, feeling overwhelmed. For maybe a couple of minutes, she had believed that Seifer would be coming with her and she had allowed herself to entertain possibilities she would otherwise not have imagined, to feel emotions she had suppressed. It felt like a real loss to have that taken away so suddenly and quickly. She swallowed, looking up at Seifer, memorising every plane of his face.

"I guess we'll really have to say goodbye," he said, with an odd, tight smile.

"Yeah."

"Sorry, Yuffie," said Cloud.

"_You_ can shut up." She glared at Cloud, before turning back to Seifer. "Well, it won't be so bad, staying, will it?" she said, conscious of Seifer's outburst earlier. "You'll be a SeeD at last, you'll be with Raijin and Fujin and all these guys. They're worth staying for, right?"

"Do you want me to say yes?"

"I want you to say yes and have it be the honest answer."

"Don't think I can do that."

Everyone was either staring at them or looking at their feet, trying not to intrude, though it was impossible in such an enclosed space. She felt awkward.

"Ze portal won't stay open forever, you know," said Odine.

"We'd better go," said Vincent. He picked up Rufus and threw him over his shoulder like a rag doll. Without hesitating, he stepped over the threshold, through the portal and vanished at once.

Yuffie squeezed Seifer's hand tightly, making no movement towards the portal. _Just a few seconds longer_, she thought.

They all watched as Red wished them good luck before leaping through the arch, eager to get home and recover. Then Tifa bent down and kissed Denzel on the forehead.

"I'll go first, okay, and you follow."

She waved at Squall and his friends for one last time before departing. Denzel looked up at Cloud, who ruffled his hair.

"Do as Tifa says."

"Marlene's waiting for you," said Denzel. He walked backwards through the portal, Irvine, Selphie, Zell and Rinoa waving at him, but he only nodded back. He seemed happy to escape from the world which had captured and held him prisoner.

Now only Cloud and Yuffie were left.

"Can you just give me a second longer?" she pleaded.

"You go first, Yuffie," he said, beckoning.

She looked back at Seifer and thought, _to hell with it. This is my last chance_. Not caring that the others were there, she reached up on her tiptoes and flung her arms around Seifer's neck. He bent down and their mouths met and her eyes closed, and for a moment she could pretend that it was just the two of them, locked in an embrace which ignored the barriers between worlds. She kissed him hungrily, because this was the first and last kiss they would ever share, and Seifer responded with equal passion.

Somebody coughed and the moment was lost; they broke apart as people shifted awkwardly around them. She stared at Seifer, torn between cracking a joke, kissing him again, and breaking down in tears. His expression was the same.

"Go on," said Seifer, giving her a little push.

Yuffie straightened up and walked towards Cloud with her head held high, determined to show no sign of embarrassment. He kept his face expressionless. She stepped up to the dais, pausing just before the portal. She could feel its energy buzzing behind her, a slight pull at her back, like a magnet. Tears clustered behind her eyes. She held them back fiercely.

"Bye, everyone. Don't forget me."

She stepped back, and the world dissolved around her.

* * *

Squall had watched as one by one, they stepped through, while the portal shimmered and crackled around them. Last of all, Cloud paused before the dais and turned, his face haloed by the light of the computer screens.

"I guess this is our last goodbye."

"I guess it is," said Squall.

A wry half-smile curved Cloud's lips. "I'm glad I met you guys, even after everything that happened."

Squall's mind immediately tallied all the reasons he _wasn't_ glad to have met Cloud and his companions: the attack on Rinoa, the near fatal attack on Quistis, the death of Angelo, the trouble of getting them back home again–

"Squall," said Cloud, "look after Rinoa."

_Shut up, mind_, he told himself. He smiled back at Cloud. "I will."

And Cloud turned back towards the arch, took another step and vanished.

* * *

Rinoa reached in and delicately removed the green orb from the clasps keeping it nestled in the centre of the machine. She drew her hand back from a tangle of wiring, until finally she held the materia, warming once again in her palm. She felt a rustling, like an echo of something long forgotten.

She moved towards the dais, and it was just as Red XIII had said. The air was thin here. The gap between worlds had been breached so often that the whole place was fractured. If she wanted, she could focus her power and the power of the materia, and blast open a permanent rift between the two worlds. But she didn't want that, she wanted to seal the wound, and the way to do that was by sending the materia back through.

Holding the materia between her palms, she reached out towards the centre of the arch, where the crack was widest. She looked into the materia's depths, and for a moment, she thought she saw a pair of green eyes swimming in those pools. With a crackle of magic, the orb vanished, taking the image with it, and she immediately convinced herself that it must have been her own eyes reflected back at her. They only looked green because that was the colour of the materia.

She turned back to the others. "It's done."

* * *

"Cloud! Tifa! Denzel!"

A small figure in a pale dress ran down the stairs to meet them, her pigtails flying out behind her. Seventh Heaven looked the same as ever, but behind the bar stood a big man with a metal arm and a blond man smoking a cigarette. A robotic cat hopped after the little girl, cape swishing.

"You're back!"

Marlene threw herself into their waiting arms. Cloud and Tifa crouched down, the entire family huddling together.

Vincent and Red XIII stalked into the bar after them, both fully recovered, and Yuffie raced past them, stopping to pick Cait Sith up and throw him into the air. There were greetings, shouts, cheers and whoops, but for Cloud all that existed were the three people around him, holding him tightly: Tifa, Denzel and Marlene. Relief flooded through him.

"Yeah," he whispered. "We're home."

* * *

Balamb Garden was running smoothly once again, skimming across the deserts of Galbadia. Squall found Rinoa sitting at the window seat in their bedroom, gazing out at the night with a pensive expression. She had become quieter since the events at the missile base, he thought.

As he sat down next to her, she turned to look at him and quickly smiled. "Are you going to the party tomorrow night?"

She was referring to the graduation party for their newest batch of SeeDs. Squall nodded. "I have to."

"I saw Seifer trying out his new SeeD uniform. He looks cute. Almost as cute as you look in it."

"I'll be wearing mine."

"Good. Are you taking anyone?" She said it with a mischievous sparkle in her eye, and he realised, belatedly, that he had forgotten to ask her. He had just assumed that they would be going together.

"Maybe," he said. "If you're there, I might ask you to dance."

She grinned. "I'd like that."

They sat in companionable silence for a short time. Rinoa looked outside again, watching the lights of the city on the horizon grow steadily closer. He watched her face as her smile faded and her eyes became clouded. Something was troubling her.

He touched her shoulder. "Rinoa. What's wrong?"

"I was thinking." She turned to look at him, her face anxious. "It… it was better that we took Kelling alive, wasn't it?"

"Well, Caraway paid us more."

"I don't mean like that."

Squall considered. "I suppose prison is punishment enough."

"I just thought… killing him was something a bad Sorceress would have done. I don't want to be like that."

"You're not. You're better than any of us."

She smiled. "And Balamb Garden… We'll make it better too."

They had already discussed reform – changing their policies to focus on defence and monster hunting, on protecting people rather than killing them. Rinoa wouldn't let go of the idea and it was close to Squall's heart as well. He didn't want Garden to create another Piet.

"It'll take time, you know that."

She nodded. "But it's a start. Tifa told me about how they've been rebuilding their world. We can do that too."

"Yeah."

Together, they looked out at their world, at the stars shining down on the dark earth. Balamb Garden moved like a whisper in the air, carrying them ever closer to a new horizon.

* * *

Far away, on the other side of the air, night had also fallen. Cloud and Tifa had put the children to bed, so that the two of them were the only ones awake in the house. They headed upstairs to their bedroom, ready to sleep too. Cloud moved over to the window to draw the curtains, but stopped to look outside. The world seemed still, settled. All was quiet. Tifa joined him, taking his hand. They didn't need words.

* * *

Then, for just a moment, a fraction of a second, a single beat in the slow inevitable passage of time, two couples from two different worlds looked upon the same sky, and thought of each other.

_**~end~**_


End file.
